Comments on: Waiting for Tundra Swans http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2007/11/09/waiting-for-tundra-swans/ A Bird Watcher's View of the World Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:03:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Dick Hegner http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2007/11/09/waiting-for-tundra-swans/#comment-13 Dick Hegner Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:20:11 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/?p=4#comment-13 I'm a transplanted Pittsburgher--from Sewickley actually--now living in Chesapeake County (Columbia, Maryland, southwest of Baltimore). I saw my first Tundra Swans in the winter at Pymatuning and Presque Isle in the early 60s--they were called Whistling Swans in those days. They were also a special treat, since as your posting notes, they do not often light in Western Pennsylvania. Now I can see scores of this majestic bird in the late fall and winter at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge near Chestertown, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore. A special treat this time of year is hearing their somewhat eerie flight calls overhead at night. Like many areas, we have a year-round population of Mute Swans. These have escaped into the wild from captivity. There is quite a heated debate about the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' plan to eliminate some of this species, supposedly because they consume a great amount of bay grasses. I am personally quite opposed to this idea--live and let live, I say. Enjoyed your postings about Red-tailed Hawk, the most common hawk in the Sewickley area when I was growing up and one of my all-time favorite birds. I’m a transplanted Pittsburgher–from Sewickley actually–now living in Chesapeake County (Columbia, Maryland, southwest of Baltimore). I saw my first Tundra Swans in the winter at Pymatuning and Presque Isle in the early 60s–they were called Whistling Swans in those days. They were also a special treat, since as your posting notes, they do not often light in Western Pennsylvania. Now I can see scores of this majestic bird in the late fall and winter at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge near Chestertown, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore. A special treat this time of year is hearing their somewhat eerie flight calls overhead at night.

Like many areas, we have a year-round population of Mute Swans. These have escaped into the wild from captivity. There is quite a heated debate about the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ plan to eliminate some of this species, supposedly because they consume a great amount of bay grasses. I am personally quite opposed to this idea–live and let live, I say.

Enjoyed your postings about Red-tailed Hawk, the most common hawk in the Sewickley area when I was growing up and one of my all-time favorite birds.

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