Just got back from a trip to see the swans in MO. The Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary has quite a few there. Last I knew 318. We went down last night to catch the incoming eve. flight which is where this shot is from. Had decent light they just wanted to come in too far away. These did swim closer. Cropped pretty hard to get this comp. This morning back before daylight and they had moved the weather was dark and clowdy, had just a bit of pink just about 7:15 then it was gone. Only got a couple so so shots this morning. Will try to get back later and do better.
Olympus E510 600mm eq 1/320 f9 ISO 400
Posted by Toni Lankerd on January 3, 2009 at 8:43 PM
Whistling Swans, Kendall? Nice catch of the family!
They tell me that they are Trumpeter swans and it looks like the ones in my guide.
I got to visit a bit with a local photographer that shoots there all the time. There are some that are banded and some not.
Posted by Toni Lankerd on January 3, 2009 at 10:19 PM
Okay. Trumpeter and Whistlers look alike except for the fact that the Whistlers are quite a bit smaller. Trumpeters are the largest of them all
.
Posted by Brian Vance on January 4, 2009 at 11:14 AM
Nice group shot, Kendall. Trumpeters are making a nice comeback in the MW. Seney NWR in Michigan's UP has done a great job of protecting and managing their nesting population and they are now seen more widely in the region. They seem to look for the first ice-free area they find with a good food source, and migrate only as far south as they have to. They are beautiful!
Nice image, Kendall. (Looks like a goose sneaked in there as well. ) A group of trumpeters flew almost directly over my head one day this fall in the UP; I had a wide angle lens on the camera at the time so I just watched them.
Posted by Bruce Palla on January 6, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Nice shot Kendall. Another distinguishing trait of Trumpeters, other than their larger size is the coloring on the bill, a pink stripe that looks like a lip. These were in NW Wisco, Bruce
Posted by Chuck Beatty on January 7, 2009 at 8:51 AM
Nice capture, Kendall. Are the darker birds juvies?
Discussion
7 repliesOlympus E510 600mm eq 1/320 f9 ISO 400
I got to visit a bit with a local photographer that shoots there all the time. There are some that are banded and some not.
.