We read online that there were swans down by the boat launch, but as we were passing the park, Sue saw them before we got that far. The swans generally show up sometime in winter, often at a distance, way out in the river. On this day, however, they were in shooting range, especially because I had brought my longest lens.
Actually if I may step back a bit, the first group that we saw was at the far bank, quite a distance away, even with the long lens.
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| This was at full zoon — 400mm. |
It was as we got nearer the river that we spotted another family of seven, quite close to the near riverbank. That is when AC began to press the shutter like a madman.
Here's the whole group, sometimes collectively referred to as a bevy, along with two, chummy mallard ducks. Not knowing anything about swans, we presume that the two white swans are the parents and the darker ones their juvenile offspring.
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| I didn't know that they are Trumpeter swans until I looked it up when I got back home. They are very similar to Tundra swans that also have little yellow markings around the eyes. |
I began to try to isolate some from the whole bevy. This next photo took me down to four, and I like the two up and two down. I remember waiting until the closest swan lifted its head and dripped water from its last foraging.
I was eventually able to capture a single swan, not that I like the photo any better, but I just wanted this photo as well as the others.
Finally, I thought it would be fun to capture a duck with one of the juvenile swans.
Those were a few of the scads of photos that I squeezed off.
24 comments:
What a great sight to behold - those swans are so beautiful.
I take hundreds of shots to get one good one of a bird. That is if the bird stays out long enough!
Great shots!
So beautiful. I first saw swans in Zurich, Switzerland in 1969. Unforgettable experience.
I don't know what happened to the swans on a nearby lake, but they are now gone. Such elegant looking fowl! These are great shots, and the mallards with them are putting their size into good contrast.
Lovely sight. I like to see them in flight over here, but it's a rare event.
Beautiful! I wish we had wild swans in our area along with the Canada Geese.
We have a pair of trumpeter swans here every spring and summer.
Reading about them, they don't reach sexual maturity until they are 3-6 years old, so until they are old enough to 'pair', the young swans remain in a group like you see here.
Fun post! Yes the juveniles look different but they get as big as adults pretty quickly. Ah the companionable ducks! Thank you for being so compatible. Aloha, AC
Swans are very photogenic.
Swans are so magical, and I don't even know why. I'm scared of geese but I like swans. Go figure.
Bonus. You are lucky. We get them on the beaver flood and it is just too far, even with the telephoto. Love, love the two up two down. And you have every feather complete and beautiful.
They are such elegant creatures.
My college had a small pond on campus with a mated pair of swans that lived there year round. I believe their wings had been clipped to prevent them from flying off. Somewhere in my slide archives, I'm sure I have a series of photos of them too. But because I had a simply point and shoot 35 mm camera at the time, I'm not going to bother to track them down when I can look at your much higher quality ones.
Peaceful and calm with the swans.
Do they make any sound? They are magnificent looking birds.
Swans are such a lovely bird and a beautiful subject. A great contract with that blue water!
How fortunate you were to find a swan collective like that. Wonderful pictures.
Such an elegant bird, and you captured some really lovely photos. I smiled at the butt shot one, too.
There have been a lot of swans on nearby Otty Lake. 100 geese, too!
Where did you hear the swans were there? I'd be curious.
You didn't ell us the difference between trumpeter swans and tundra swans.
@Red. "Tundra swans that also have little yellow markings around the eyes."
Lovely shots. Great sequence.
Oh I love the one of the single swan, and the last photo is adorable. What graceful, gorgeous creatures they are. Years ago I took many photos of a lone black swan swimming in the man-made lake on the campus of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. I loved taking those photos and they will always be among my favorites. xoxo
They are beautiful.
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