Vermont Rare Bird Reports 2021

Hal Bill

Overcast; windy; no precipitation; otherwise, seasonal temperature, etc., for late April in northern Vermont

Eagle Optics Ranger Platinum Class 8 x 42 binoculars (Charlotte)
Eagle Optics Ranger ED 10 x 50 binoculars (Hal)
Canon Powershot SX-50 HS Camera (Charlotte)

*I completed, with certificate, the Cornell Bird Academy’s “Duck and Waterfowl Identification” online course taught by Dr. Kevin McGowan. There was a full lesson on swan ID, with a focus on differences between the eye position in relationship to the black face mask of Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, as well as differences in bill color and/or bill shape of Tundra, Trumpeter, and Mute Swans.
*Hal and I have also seen the Trumpeter Swans that have been observed since at least March 2018 at Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge (see one of my sightings of TRUS at https://ebird.org/vt/checklist/S43795402 and my description then).
*Finally, on iNaturalist, I also study and ID other people’s swan observations (https://www.inaturalist.org/people/112851).

shallow, open water directly adjacent to and north of Route 36 (with a channel that narrows substantially and extends northwards). The open water is ringed by cattails and other vegetation.
*Other species: Mallard, Canada Goose (We were so focused on swan ID that we did not note other species likely there.)

*swimming
*tilting tail up about 90 degrees from water’s surface
*paddling with its feet and legs in this tilted position
*submerging head and neck
*feeding (pulling vegetation from beneath water’s surface)
*moving (The bird was perhaps 400 feet from us when we arrived. During the 26 minutes we were there, it moved further away, but then it swam closer and closer till it was as close as about 100 feet away from us.)

no vocalization heard

As we drove past the WMA at 2:25 p.m. on our way to my ophthalmological appointment, I noticed a swan in the water, but we couldn't stop. However, it was still there at 3:55 when we drove back through, so we pulled into the WMA parking area to observe the swan, easily visible from there. My pupils were thoroughly dilated from the eye exam, so I had to wear my sunglasses as I looked through my binoculars, but I got a good enough look to note key features of bill and eye.
However, because of my dilated pupils, I concentrated on getting as many photos as possible. I also called Ken Copenhaver to alert him that I was pretty sure there was a Trumpeter Swan at the Fairfield Swamp WMA, so that he might drive over and take a look, which he did, though we did not wait for him. His assessment was Trumpeter Swan, too. Other expert birders have IDed TRUS at the same location, after 4/26/2021, as well.

See photos showing two key ID features noted in field:
*placement of eye enclosed in black mask
*flat, straight line/plane between bill and forehead (bill straight, not "dished")

(see photos)
Very large bird, much, much larger than a Canada Goose. Very long-necked. Bulky body. Swan-shaped.

(see photos)
White head with black face mask; head and neck show noticeable rust-colored staining

(see photos)
*bill looked all black in field, but photos show gray edging
*red strip at base of lower bill’s upper edge
*feet and legs all black

(see photos)
all white; no markings

(see photos)
all white; no markings

(see photos)
long, but they do not extend past tail
all white; no markings

(see photos)
all white; no markings

(see photos)
pointed in profile
all white; no markings

Ruled out Tundra Swan and Mute Swan
(see photos)
*This bird’s black bill merged in quite the straight line into the slanting forehead (as opposed to a slightly “dished” bill of Tundra Swan).
*This bird’s eyes were well-contained within the diminishing line of the face-mask (as opposed to Tundra Swan’s eye looking much more distinctly like dot almost separate from the black line extending from the face mask).
*This bird showed no yellow on the face or bill, sometimes visible on TUSW.
*This bird did not have Mute Swan’s knobbed bill or orange coloring on bill.
*This bird had red strip at base of lower bill’s upper edge, not a characteristic of TUSW or MUSW (feature seen in photos afterward but not in field)

Adult bird
Sex not determined

NB: I’m submitting this report because Ian Worley asked me to, even though there are already at least 10 previously accepted reports of this species in Vermont.

However, I believe this is the first sighting of Trumpeter Swan at the Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area, which drew Franklin County’s first nesting Sandhill Cranes and continues to harbor SACR, illustrating well the value of habitat protection!