Two adult and one juvenile Trumpeter Swans were observed at St. Vincent Wetlands (aka. Monastery Run Mine Reclamation Project) on 20 December 2002. The adult birds both had green neck bands with white alphanumeric labels, the juvenile was unbanded. This photograph of the three birds was taken solely with a digital camera with its lens set at 10X.

Adult Trumpeter Swan with the neck band 7M5. Note the relatively long, straight bill and lack of any yellow around the lores. These are characteristics of Trumpeters that separate them from the more common Tundra Swans in the region. Information concerning the origin of the swans was obtained by Paul Hess from Dave Sherman, Wildlife Biologist for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. I'm grateful for the data they provided which is listed with these pictures. Swan 7M5 is a 2.5 year old female that was hatched and raised in New York. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources obtained it when it was 9 months old. It was kept in captivity in Ohio until its release at Grand River Wildlife Area near West Farmington in Trumbull County, Ohio on April 2, 2002. This is a digiscope shot taken at approximately 150X.

A view of the face of Trumpeter Swan 7M5 showing the pointed or "V-shaped" upper border of the beak typical of Trumpeter Swans. Tundra Swans have a straighter or more "U-shaped" upper border. This is a digiscope shot taken at approximately 150X.

View of adult Trumpeter Swan with the neck band 8M0. Swan 8M0 is a 2.5 year old male that was born in Wisconsin. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources obtained it when it was 9 months old. It was kept in captivity in Ohio until its release at Grand River Wildlife Area near West Farmington in Trumbull County, Ohio on April 2, 2002. This is a digiscope shot taken at approximately 150X.

View of all three Trumpeter Swans. The juvenile in the center displays a black base on its otherwise pink bill and a "dirty" appearing body typical of juvenile Trumpeter Swans. These swans probably are now a mated pair with their offspring from the 2002 breeding season. This is a digiscope shot taken at approximately 150X.

Photograph of juvenile and adult (8M0) Trumpeter Swans in flight as they flew from the main St. Vincent lake over to the Monastery Run project ponds. They also made their hurp-di-di call as they flew off. This is lower in pitch than the honking calls of Tundra Swans. This shot was taken solely with the camera with its lens set at 10X.

Return to McConaughy's Birding Page

Return to McConaughy's Home Page