Cygnus cygnus
December 23, 2002: Aberlady Farm Field, East Lothian, Scotland
Driving home from Haddington around 2:30 p.m., I noticed a couple of swans in a farm field with a flock of pink-footed geese. A car was stopped at the side of the road, so I stopped too and asked the fellow in the car if I could borrow his binoculars. The swans were definitely not mutes, but a bit far away to tell whether or not they were Whoopers or Bewick’s. I decided to go home and return with my scope. The birds were still there, and I was able to verify that they were whoopers. Fabby! I’ve been trying to find a couple of these birds for quite a while, so I was so glad to find them before moving back to the U.S.
Let me know what you think!