With Roberts email about swan ID, I decided to post the latest contact info for reporting banded Trumpeter swans and Tundra swans. What you were seeing were trumpeter swans that were banded and released in Ohio a few years ago. They will have Green or Yellow "necklaces". Reporting of banded birds now needs to go to Dave Sherman [log in to unmask] 1-419-898-0960 ext21 Banded Trumpeter Swans primarily will have a blue neck band with white lettering. But you could also see some that are white with black lettering. For Tundra Swans Contact John Whissel at the USGS. The link to contact info page is as follows: http://abscweb.wr.usgs.gov/science/biology/avian_influenza/TUSW/TUSW_report.html He is in charge of North Slope banding which "should" be the swans that would be in our area. When reporting sightings make observations of band number, temperature, wind, cloud cover, time of day, size of flock, and where located (If you can get coordinates so much the better.) I am going to start watching some of the newer ponds at Big Island that are not part of the map. Last year I saw dozens of tundra swans at the pond between New Bloomington and LaRue...but that was last year :-) Here is a link to my gmap, the pond that I am talking about is marker #10.: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=111124962307056523138.00045ebeaba268177d1e7&ll=40.570415,-83.259716&spn=0.062981,0.153809&t=h&z=13 Happy Birding and God bless. Steve Jones (a.k.a. sjlarue) 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10.29-31) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert S. Morton" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 7:50 PM Subject: [Ohio-birds] Help needed in ID'ing Swans Hello; I ran across three swans which look more like Trumpeter than Tundra Swans- 2 adults and one juvenile. They were in a private marsh area on the west side of CR 265. I drove east of Fremont on Rt. 6 towards Pickerel Creek WA. CR 265 is on the left off of Rt. 6 about 7 miles out of Fremont. Turn left onto CR 265 at Racoon Creek, which has a large sign with the creek's name on it. Drive down CR 265 about a quarter mile and the swans are on the left. There were no yellow markings at the base of the bill, but I know not all Tundra Swans have this marking. They seemed to have a larger black bills than Tundra's have. One had a green neck band with yellowish markings, which I couldn't read. All three seemed very large, bigger than most Tundra Swans I've seen earlier in the Fall. However, I've been looking at Tufted Titmice and juncos all winter, to my perception has been influenced...they seemed like dinosaurs! Plus, these swans were much closer to me than any I've spotted before. Any one know if the green neck band with yellowish letters/numbers is being put on Trumpeter, or on Tundra Swans? This would verify the ID. I'd appreciate you letting me know. Further down the road is another large and newly-created marsh with about 15 Swans on it, but they were too far away to ID. Definately not Mute Swans, though. Also in the area in and around Pickerel Creek WA: 2 N. Harriers 4 Bald Eagles 20 Mallards 40 Canada Geese 2 RT Hawks Thousands of Starlings(ugh!) 2 Great Blue Herons Visit the Wildlife-Friendly Yards Blog at: http://wildlifefriendlylawn.blogspot.com/ and look at the WW Crossbill Video in right margin. Robert ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]