Subject: Bewick's swans
Date: Feb 06 09:08:47 1998
From: gtoffic - gtoffic at halcyon.com


Tweeters, The report of 4 Bewick's swans in Oregon has got me re-thinking a
swan I saw last weekend. Last Sunday I followed up on a report of an
immature golden eagle seen near a good sized swan flock along Dodge Valley
Rd. S.E. of
La Conner. I didn't find the eagle, but I did see a swan whose yellow bill
pattern was somewhat more extensive than what I think of as a typical
tundra swan pattern.
I ruled out whooper swan because the yellow patch was not nearly large
enough, but I didn't even think about the Bewick's race of whistling swan
at the time. Maybe this is just an extreme variation in the extent of
yellow, but anyone birding this area might want to seek out this bird.

Greg

Greg Toffic
Curator of Birds
Woodland Park Zoo "Black holes are where God
5500 Phinney Avenue N. divided by zero."
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 684-4836 (Ph)
(206)233-7278 (FAX)