Nature Note #128: Adventures in Pennsylvania: Trumpet of the Swan
As my last weekend in Pennsylvania draws to a close, I decided on Friday night to go birding somewhere. But as I searched the local hotspots for migrants (which have since been growing thin as the main songbird species such as warblers have all but gone), I couldn't find an ideal spot. I had mentioned to friends at work about my interest about going to Hawk Mountain, but recent counts suggested that the "good" species had already filed through.
So as I clicked on the lists and links of eBird, my eye was drawn to local sightings of Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus), a particularly hard bird to locate due to their scarcity (their population has declined 99% in the past 50 years or so) and habit of sticking to small flocks of their own kind. A park about 45 minutes north of Horsham had hosted the birds within the past week and seemed to be worth a look. The report also detailed the presence of a juvenile Brant (Branta bernicla) that had been grazing on the shore of the lake within the park. But the biggest surprise was listed by P. Teese who reported a Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)! One was spotted back in October, but another one was spotted on Monday this past week!
Several other reports suggested that they could be two birds that were migrating separately, but it isn't known for sure. All I knew as I read the report last night was that as far as year list species went, this was a good one to go for.
The report had come from a hotspot called Lake Towhee County Park in Quakertown and was bustling with what seemed to be a local boy scout troop cleaning up the park after a meet or something. I didn't pay too much attention to them as I exited the car and headed toward the large lake in the middle of the park. I was on a mission and wouldn't be swayed from it. This wasn't the first time I'd be seeing a Trumpeter though. Last year in Ohio, I visited Black Swamp Bird Observatory near Lake Erie and saw a pair mate and court near the car as Alison and I were driving in! I couldn't believe my luck back then and I certainly couldn't believe it now.
As I neared the pond, I wondered how long it would take me to find the bird. After all, when I'd tried to find the Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) in Cape May, it had vanished and definitely put a damper on the day. Looking out over the sea of Canada Geese (B. canadensis) before me, I raised my binos and found a blazing white patch on the water dead ahead. The white patch raised its long neck to reveal an all black bill and peaked crown. Bingo!
Sandy Komito was quoted in The Big Year as having felt guilty at the ease with which he found the Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) he'd been chasing for some time and that seemed to resonate here. I was sure it was the bird based on its size and field marks. I took several distant photos of it too. I guess this quote resonated with me more because of how easily I got this rarity rather than the guilt Komito felt about having found a bird so easily that is usually fairly difficult (and a Code 4 or 5 to boot!).
For those who are wondering what a Code 4/5 is and why seeing a Trumpeter Swan is so unusual, it all has to do with rarity. The ABA (American Birding Association) has a 1 through 5 code that rates the rarity of a given bird in an specific area. Code 1's refer to common birds with widespread or local distribution that are most likely to be found in a specific area or region. Code 2's generally refer to uncommon species that are more sporadic in their distribution, as well as, exotics like the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) in Florida or Spice Finch (Lonchura punctulata) in southern California that have established themselves due to introduction into an unfamiliar, but suitable environment. Code 3's are more out of place, but not unusual visitors to certain sections of the country and are usually casual or regular migrants that end up outside their usual range due to bad weather, inexperience with navigation, and spring break. Code 4's are birds that appear regularly in North America, but are rare birds where ever they show up. Code 5's (like the Whiskered Tern or that Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus) that lifted the "Curse of the Bambino" a decade ago) are completely unexpected birds that are extreme rarities where ever they show up (outside of their natural home range, of course.)
Trumpeter Swans themselves are rare for two reasons. One reason is that they usually don't come this far east. The furthest east they breed is along Lake Erie and even there, they are scarce. The second reason is more influenced by human behavior and actions. Their numbers, like many gamebirds out West, were reduced by habitat destruction and market hunting and dropped their numbers so low, that in the early to mid twentieth century, it was feared that it would go extinct along with other large water birds like the Spectacled Cormorant (Phalacrocorax perspicillatus) or the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis). Fortunately, through captive breeding programs and reintroduction schemes, they are becoming more common in the west and their numbers are rebounding.
After writing the bird down in my notebook, I knew I'd acquired year bird #212. Only 12 species to go, to beat last year's record! I guess it's time for the final push and I can't wait to see what's out there waiting for me.
So as I clicked on the lists and links of eBird, my eye was drawn to local sightings of Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus), a particularly hard bird to locate due to their scarcity (their population has declined 99% in the past 50 years or so) and habit of sticking to small flocks of their own kind. A park about 45 minutes north of Horsham had hosted the birds within the past week and seemed to be worth a look. The report also detailed the presence of a juvenile Brant (Branta bernicla) that had been grazing on the shore of the lake within the park. But the biggest surprise was listed by P. Teese who reported a Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)! One was spotted back in October, but another one was spotted on Monday this past week!
Several other reports suggested that they could be two birds that were migrating separately, but it isn't known for sure. All I knew as I read the report last night was that as far as year list species went, this was a good one to go for.
The report had come from a hotspot called Lake Towhee County Park in Quakertown and was bustling with what seemed to be a local boy scout troop cleaning up the park after a meet or something. I didn't pay too much attention to them as I exited the car and headed toward the large lake in the middle of the park. I was on a mission and wouldn't be swayed from it. This wasn't the first time I'd be seeing a Trumpeter though. Last year in Ohio, I visited Black Swamp Bird Observatory near Lake Erie and saw a pair mate and court near the car as Alison and I were driving in! I couldn't believe my luck back then and I certainly couldn't believe it now.
As I neared the pond, I wondered how long it would take me to find the bird. After all, when I'd tried to find the Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) in Cape May, it had vanished and definitely put a damper on the day. Looking out over the sea of Canada Geese (B. canadensis) before me, I raised my binos and found a blazing white patch on the water dead ahead. The white patch raised its long neck to reveal an all black bill and peaked crown. Bingo!
Sandy Komito was quoted in The Big Year as having felt guilty at the ease with which he found the Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) he'd been chasing for some time and that seemed to resonate here. I was sure it was the bird based on its size and field marks. I took several distant photos of it too. I guess this quote resonated with me more because of how easily I got this rarity rather than the guilt Komito felt about having found a bird so easily that is usually fairly difficult (and a Code 4 or 5 to boot!).
For those who are wondering what a Code 4/5 is and why seeing a Trumpeter Swan is so unusual, it all has to do with rarity. The ABA (American Birding Association) has a 1 through 5 code that rates the rarity of a given bird in an specific area. Code 1's refer to common birds with widespread or local distribution that are most likely to be found in a specific area or region. Code 2's generally refer to uncommon species that are more sporadic in their distribution, as well as, exotics like the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) in Florida or Spice Finch (Lonchura punctulata) in southern California that have established themselves due to introduction into an unfamiliar, but suitable environment. Code 3's are more out of place, but not unusual visitors to certain sections of the country and are usually casual or regular migrants that end up outside their usual range due to bad weather, inexperience with navigation, and spring break. Code 4's are birds that appear regularly in North America, but are rare birds where ever they show up. Code 5's (like the Whiskered Tern or that Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus) that lifted the "Curse of the Bambino" a decade ago) are completely unexpected birds that are extreme rarities where ever they show up (outside of their natural home range, of course.)
Trumpeter Swans themselves are rare for two reasons. One reason is that they usually don't come this far east. The furthest east they breed is along Lake Erie and even there, they are scarce. The second reason is more influenced by human behavior and actions. Their numbers, like many gamebirds out West, were reduced by habitat destruction and market hunting and dropped their numbers so low, that in the early to mid twentieth century, it was feared that it would go extinct along with other large water birds like the Spectacled Cormorant (Phalacrocorax perspicillatus) or the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis). Fortunately, through captive breeding programs and reintroduction schemes, they are becoming more common in the west and their numbers are rebounding.
After writing the bird down in my notebook, I knew I'd acquired year bird #212. Only 12 species to go, to beat last year's record! I guess it's time for the final push and I can't wait to see what's out there waiting for me.
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