This morning about 7:30 I noticed four swans flying north past the Alki
Point lighthouse off West Seattle. Their direction of flight would have
taken them toward or past West Point/Discovery Park.



Although they were fairly close, it was one of those fleeting sightings.
You know - no bins when they were close and by the time you had them under
magnification all you had to look at was their rapidly receding southern
exposure. In that brief assessment, it seemed to me that their necks were
proportionately shorter and their overall size relatively smaller than
Trumpeters would be. At least one seemed to be a juvenile and on the
lighter end of coloring. All that, plus being over saltwater, makes me
think it is more likely they were Tundras.



Anyone have thoughts on whether I might pin it down as to which species of
swan? I know we all have different standards for what it takes to pin down
a sighting, but is this too uncertain to fuss over or is there a strong
likelihood of one over the other? I appreciate your thoughts, and thanks!





Gary T. Smith

Alki Point, Seattle