IBRC #5-B-11

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: Mute Swan
HOW MANY: 1

REPORTER: K. Araki 2906 Greenvale Pl. Nampa, ID 83686
REPORTER EMAIL: karaki@cableone.net
OTHER OBSERVERS: J. Araki

DATE REPORT PREPARED: January 22, 2011
DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: January 14, 2011 (bird is currently still at location)

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: Julia Davis Park, located near the intersection of Myrtle St. and Broadway Ave. The city of this park is Boise, ID. Julia Davis is also located near the Boise Zoo, Boise State University, and the Boise River
HABITAT: Water, urban area
CONDITIONS: Observation Time: 10 min. Weather: overcast, no wind Temperature: mid 30s Distance from Bird: 20-30 ft.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?: Yes, during the observation
DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?: No, not at all

DESCRIPTION: Family: Swans Large, white body and neck, orange bill with black knob, black ey
es BEHAVIOR: Larger than any of the waterfowl in the pond, head & neck went under to feed, swam with other waterfowl in pond but never showed any signs of aggression

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? Positively identified bird: when I first saw it Clinched the identification: Mute Swans are the only N. American swan with an orange bill. The two species of swan in Idaho (Tundra & Trumpeter) do not have such bills. Also, the black knob was a giveaway.
HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? The only other possible species were the Tundra & Trumpeter Swan. Because both of these species have black bills and lack a black knob, this automatically disqualified them.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): During the years that I've been interested in birds,I have become very familiar with the birds found in Idaho and also the birds found in N. America. I have seen another Mute Swan in the Treasure Valley about two years ago and have seen Trumpeters and Tundras on various birding trips and vacations.
GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: I have been interested in birds for over ten years and have been birding just as long. From a scale of 1-10, 1 being hardly familiar with birds and 10 being very familiar, I would rate my level of expertise to be a 10.

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?: Photo