I received no public replies from IDF. A couple private votes for
Trumpeter, but.... anyway, the big news is...
A couple days ago I obtained some better photos and a sound file of the
bird calling (kind of quiet, but fairly distinct). See what you think now.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewghunter/sets/72157652342825501/
www.umpquabirds.org/Swan-Voice 002.mp3
Matt
On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 11:15 PM, Matthew G Hunter <matthewghunter@xxxxxxxxx
wrote:
Thanks for all your thoughts. I personally am not left with a slam-dunk
certainty of the identity of this bird. We seem to have differing
perspectives on what the shapes of feathering edges are, and how important
they are, and perhaps no one really knows for sure. I continue to be
impressed with the difficulty of swan ID, at least for some individuals.
I'm going to broaden my "search for wisdom" to IDF and see if anything new
comes of that.
Matt
On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 11:29 AM, W. Douglas Robinson <
w.douglas.robinson@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I'm late to the game here, but I agree that it is most likely a Tundra,
for the various reasons outlined by others below. In addition, I have
noticed that commissural structure (that is the biting edge of the bill) on
Trumpeters is different from Tundras. The bill flares out a bit more toward
the tip and can show more of the lamellae than typically apparent on a
Tundra. Kind of think of it as a Greater vs Lesser Scaup type of
difference. Also, usually Trumpeters seem to be much more long-necked than
this bird but that is tough to judge in photos and without seeing the full
range of postures. At Finley, misidentification of swans is a common
problem. I think Trumpeters are reported much more often than they actually
occur, so it's a common ID conundrum.
Doug
On Apr 29, 2015, at 11:17 AM, Russ Namitz wrote:
I chased this bird from eBird, snapped bunch of distant photos and then
had to leave.
Upon closer scrutiny, I think that I am leaning towards Tundara Swan as
well.
I would disagree that the shape of the forehead looks "quite rounded" and
would say that this bird is closer to a V, but not quite as sharp as Sibley
depicts.
http://www.sibleyguides.com/2006/02/distinguishing-trumpeter-and-tundra-swans/
What bothered me in the field was the amount of curvature from the
bottom of the eye down to the chin. This curvature is typical for Tundra
and should be straighter on Trumpeter. Also the skin area where it meets
the eye should be broader. The "pinched" eye profile was not easy to see
on the distant bird, but the head-on profile photo fits better with the
Sibley depiction.
Thanks for taking a closer look, I almost swept this one under the rug.
Russ
------------------------------
From: llsdirons@xxxxxxx
To: orebird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [orebird] Re: Swan Photos
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 2015 06:13:05 +0000
Greetings All,
Shawneen and I (having just returned from 9 days in AZ) are arriving late
to this party, but we just looked at this bird and neither of us would be
comfortable calling it a Trumpeter. The black in front of the eye is very
"pinched" in our opinion, rather than extending back to the eye in an
evenly tapered "V". The bill looks large like a Trumpeter's, but both of
us have been fooled before. Looking at the most front-on view, I don't see
any suggestion of the widow's peak above the bill. Where the white
feathering meets the top of the bill it looks quite rounded.
Dave Irons
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2015 19:45:24 -0700
Subject: [orebird] Re: Swan Photos
From: matthewghunter@xxxxxxxxx
To: orebird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks Greg, and Dave H., both with the same opinion. Thanks,
Matt
On Apr 27, 2015 8:04 AM, "Greg Haworth" <g.haworth@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I certainly would call this a Trumpeter. Based on size and shape of
bill, shape of the head, thickness of the neck, and thickness of the black
lores.
Here is a great picture comparing the two species:
http://www.schmoker.org/BirdPics/Photos/Waterfowl/TRUS_TUSWcomp1.jpg
I found that at the bottom of Sibley's ID article on Trumpeter vs Tundra:
http://www.sibleyguides.com/2006/02/distinguishing-trumpeter-and-tundra-swans/
greg haworth
On Thu, Apr 23, 2015 at 1:11 AM, Matthew G Hunter <
matthewghunter@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Folks,
It doesn't appear that the photos came along with my last email. I've put
them on my flickr page. As I said in my last email, this looks like a
Trumpeter to me, as unlikely as it might be, but since I rarely even see
swans these days, I just want to run it by y'all for some feedback.
Thank-you,
Matt
https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewghunter/16618960504/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewghunter/17241411745/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewghunter/17033983827/
--
Avian Migration w/ PNW focus <http://birdsoverportland.wordpress.com/>
Forays into the field <http://birdingfromportland.wordpress.com/>
<IMG_3959 (2).jpg><IMG_3960.JPG>
