There seems to have been a little disagreement amongst the swans in Boxley Valley recently. When I look at this composition, it appears that junior stepped out of line somehow in the swan culture, and he and his parents are swimming away from the other two in disgust. Who knows for sure why they all left for a few days, but I thought it made a good story...
Anyway, I'm glad I was able to get a shot of all five before the big split took place. Last time I checked, Tim E. wrote in his Journal that there are now three.
Posted by Tim Buchanan on January 4, 2008 at 2:47 PM
Great to see so many of them here - nice golden light on the water and grass.
I was there early this morning and no swans - not sure where they are going or if they have now left for good. There were three last night - the mom and teenager were not with them. The pond behind the church where they were flying to last year was drained over the summer so they have not been going there. Any sightings would be much appreciated, especially if you find them somewhere besides the Mill Pond...
Posted by John Moore on January 5, 2008 at 12:24 PM
Nice photo with the overall golden color. I didn't realize how fortunate we were to have these visitors, until this morning I read the following from a book published in 1986: "Extirpated from the state with no reports in at least seventy years." (Arkansas Birds - Their Distribution and Abundance, Douglas A James and Joseph C. Neal).
And I got this from the Wisconsin DNR web site: "The Trumpeter Swan is the largest waterfowl species native to North America. Most Trumpeters weigh 21-30 pounds, although large males may exceed 35 pounds. With a wingspan over 7 feet, these snow-white birds are truly spectacular. Standing on the ground, an adult Trumpeter stands about 4 feet high."
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on January 7, 2008 at 9:57 AM
Nice shot Bill, it does look like there could be a little disagreement going on here. I like the cool blues of the ripples in the pond and how they contrast with the warm tones elsewhere. Nicely done!
Discussion
5 repliesAnyway, I'm glad I was able to get a shot of all five before the big split took place. Last time I checked, Tim E. wrote in his Journal that there are now three.
And I got this from the Wisconsin DNR web site: "The Trumpeter Swan is the largest waterfowl species native to North America. Most Trumpeters weigh 21-30 pounds, although large males may exceed 35 pounds. With a wingspan over 7 feet, these snow-white birds are truly spectacular. Standing on the ground, an adult Trumpeter stands about 4 feet high."