Trumpeters on Ice

Comments welcomed.

What a lovely image! "Serene" comes to mind...I love the coloring (or lack of).

Thank you Kim. The day before Thanksgiving 7 Trumpeter swans showed up at a nearby pond. There are 6 adults and one juvenile. That was the first time I had ever seen them. For the time being they seem to have taken up residence. It would be nice if they spent the winter. We are into the very low teens pretty much every night now and they seem to handle that okay. Problem is its going to get much colder sooner or later so who knows what will happen? I have my fingers crossed inside my gloves.

 

Its amazing just how big these guys are. I saw them fly about 150 feet today and I swear they must have at least an 8 foot wing span. They absolutely dwarf any other birds I've seen. When Canada Geese are next to them, the Canadian honkers look like midgets. And Canada Geese are big birds in their own right.

These things are that much bigger than Canada geese??? Wow, I didn't realize how big they are. Are they not suited to cold weather?

From what I observed so far they seem to be very well adapted to cold weather. It doesn't seem to phase them. But its their dietary habits that has me wondering if they will stick around. They eat vegetation that grows under and in water. Canada Geese on the other hand forage for grain and grasses outside of the water. If all the bodies of water freeze over geese can still find food. But I think the swans will be hard pressed to make a living when that happens. So far they have been able to keep a portion of the pond ice free by swimming around a lot. (They have had a lot of help from other waterfowl.) But I am not sure they will be able to keep it ice free all winter long.

 

What I know for sure is hundreds of thousands of geese winter in this area. But these are the first and only swans I have seen around here.

 

As for size comparisons, these guys really do make Canada Geese look tiny. There are a lot of geese in that pond as well so you see them side by side all the time. I'm betting the swans weigh at least twice as much as a big goose does. And I wasn't exaggerating about the wing span either.

I didn't realize what they ate. I've seen them in parks and zoos before, but still didn't realize they were that large. I'll bet you have more good photos of them. It's hard to find a more beautiful, graceful subject.

You are right, these guys are elegant, graceful, and an absolute joy to watch. I have a few other shots I will probably eventually post.

 

I thought I would append a couple of swan facts courtesy of Google.

 

There are 8 species of swan world wide. Only two of them are native to the Americas, Those two are the Trumpeter and the Tundra. The Mute swan is a third species that was introduced from Europe.

 

The Trumpeter (the kind in this photo) is the largest of the 8. In fact it is the largest of all waterfowl. To show you how big they actually are, an adult when standing on the ground will be 4 feet tall.

They have a wing span of between 7 to 8 feet. An average adult male weighs 27 pounds, but they can exceed 35. Adult females average 22 pounds. They feed on tubers and leaves of aquatic vegetation. Coloration is white with a black bill. Sometimes they have a trace of red on the edge of the lower portion of the bill

 

The Tundra looks similar to the Trumpeter but is considerably smaller. They average 13 to 20 pounds and stand 3 feet tall. Their bill is also black. A majority of them have a yellow spot around and in front of their eyes. They also have a tendency to hold their necks erect without the the curve that is a typical posture of the Trumpeter and the Mute.

 

 

A Mute swan has an orange bill and is almost but not quite as big as the Trumpeter.

 

Thanks Larry, these guys are fascinating.

The toning you have here is great. They are so regal even in harsh conditions.

Thank you Leann. These swans were fascinating to watch. I got the biggest kick out of seeing them feed and bathe while the ambient temperature was in the single digits. Furthermore they seemed to enjoy it. Brrr.

 

Unfortunately the pond eventually froze solid. By constantly swimming around they were able to keep part of it liquid for a night or two but in the end it was a lost cause. I was there and witnessed them fly away when they abandoned ship. The next day I saw them on a large lake about 3 miles away from this pond. But its froze solid too (just like every pond, lake, or river in this area.) They need open water to feed so I am pretty sure the swans have now departed for warmer climes. Or putting it another way, if they are still in this neighborhood I haven't been able to find them and I have been keeping my eyes peeled.

Wonderful photo. I also enjoyed your comments and learned a lot. I enjoy the Canada Geese when they live for a time on my pond but have not seen swans close. What a great experience for you!

 

Kat

Thank you Kathy. The weather has warmed up considerably of late and we actually have small patches of open water here and there. Within the last week four adults Trumpeters showed up on a small body of water about 1/4 mile away from where they were in this picture. I don't actually KNOW that they were part of the same group as were here before. But if not its an amazing coincidence. And I am sceptical about coincidence. Whatever the case it is enjoyable to watch them.