My thought too!
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Just Bewick's Swans? - Boyton, Suffolk (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter lostinjapan
- Start date
My thought too!
Paul Chapman
Well-known member
Still present per pager as 2 probable Trumpeter Swans (both adults) this morning.
All the best
All the best
Stephen Dunstan
Registered User
Not sure how many escaped Trumpeters are knocking about but there has been one on the River Ribble for several years now, though for a big white bird that isn't particularly skulking it doesn't get seen that often!
http://www.planetofbirds.com/Master/...ter Swan.jpg
Not great credentials James, with this range, but at least they are migratory.
With that well-known carrier mute swan (flock clearly fresh in from Alaska on the weather bomb) I'm not sure I relish a 3 mile walk for them (return trip). They do look like trumpeters though.
But of course we never know for sure, not writing them off just yet!
Last edited:
Chriswilko
Allergic to feathers
There are a pair of ornamental Trumpeters on the entrance lake of Southview holiday park in Skegness. I guess there must be a few captive birds in the UK.
lostinjapan
Well-known member
They were present again this morning, initially on the river and heard to call in flight when they flew back to fields I found them in yesterday. They called again when some Mute Swan's flew over, with the call quite distinctive & different from Mute, Whopper or Bewick's.
It was difficult to judge size and other plumage features yesterday against the sun and in hindsight I should have moved further round the seawall to view.
They appear to be not ringed and definitely a pair.
Today I could see the size & structure, a little smaller than the Mutes, but overall a lot bigger than a Tundra would be & bill shape more Whopper like, while the gape shape was quite straight, the forehead still seemed quite rounded to me. the one bird has an obvious area of orangey-pink at base of lower mandible. The other doesn't and the underside of the lower mandible seems greyish on one bird and more pinkish on the other.
True vagrancy seems unlikely, with their more westerly distribution and short distance movements.
Still nice birds to find and makes the day a bit more interesting -
.
Sean
It was difficult to judge size and other plumage features yesterday against the sun and in hindsight I should have moved further round the seawall to view.
They appear to be not ringed and definitely a pair.
Today I could see the size & structure, a little smaller than the Mutes, but overall a lot bigger than a Tundra would be & bill shape more Whopper like, while the gape shape was quite straight, the forehead still seemed quite rounded to me. the one bird has an obvious area of orangey-pink at base of lower mandible. The other doesn't and the underside of the lower mandible seems greyish on one bird and more pinkish on the other.
True vagrancy seems unlikely, with their more westerly distribution and short distance movements.
Still nice birds to find and makes the day a bit more interesting -
.Sean
Birdspotter
Well-known member
Was working out Argyll way in early September when one of my mates had two interesting Whooper types with dark bills. Shots certainly looked interesting but birds had gone the next day....cant be too many of these on the go!
lostinjapan
Well-known member
That's interesting Birdspotter. Don't suppose he got any pics he could share?
AFeather
Well-known member
There some better pics of the suffolk birds here
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3131418#post3131418
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3131418#post3131418
Birdspotter
Well-known member
He did get pics and he thought they looked interesting as did we all. Birds were with Mute Swans but had gone by the next day. Only he saw them and If I remember correctly I mentioned perhaps sending them off to someone with experience of yank swans.
Although not close they were more Whooper looking than Bewick, if memory serves me right they had all dark bills with very little yellow, however I think the yellow was too great for your birds....but I may be wrong.
I havent seen or heard from my mate in months so I dont know what was the outcome or even if he still has the pics!?
But perhaps he is looking in on this thread and can comment?
