Over the past 5 years I have observed 3 trumpeters with bent necks in the
Skagit Valley. These appear to be congenital deformities. One bird seems
to have survived for all these years. I saw the swan yesterday off Francis
Road in the fields east of the Johnson/DeBay Reserve and west of SR9. This
is the straight stretch of road immediately following the turn from SR9 on
to Francis Road, before the first bend that takes you toward the Reserve
entrance. The neck bend is quite pronounced about 1/2 way up the neck and
bends backwards. If you are just looking at the flock you may miss this
bird because it may appear that the neck is simply bending more than others.
Keep looking and you will see that when it straightens out there is a
pronounced bend/kink.
Also in this flock is the banded trumpeter 10UK.

Anyone with cameras out there, perhaps you can get a photo of this bird.

Martha Jordan
www.swansociety.org