Rare Trumpeter Swan Sighting

Yesterday morning Sue Butkus from the Elkton Community Education Center called to alert us of a swan she had spotted along Hwy 38 on her way to work.  We packed up our gear and went in search to see if we could find it and make identification.  We found it in a large field with 50 Canada Geese about a hundred yards from the highway.  Because of the distance it was hard to get a quality photo and make a positive identification.  But after considerable scrutinizing I’m relatively certain it’s a Trumpeter Swan, which is classed as a rare sighting in this area.  The other possibility is a Tundra Swan, which is a little more common, but is smaller and normally has a yellow spot at the base of its bill.  We hope to go back today for second look.