A couple weeks ago, a friend and I took our dogs for a long birding drive to another part of the county. As is our luck, the weather was not in our favor despite a better forecast. As we drove, we observed swans on the river and a few other birds but mostly it was going pretty slow til one of our last stops. There, we found at least 65 Trumpeter Swans! These massive birds can weigh 25 pounds or more and have a six-foot wingspan! They have a distinctive, trumpeting call. Many of the pairs of birds were engaged in head bobbing and waving their wings at each other. Is this part of pair bonding? They mate for life. Sometimes they’d get up and fly to another part of the slush-covered shallow lake. Why? It was fascinating to watch and listen to them. The range map on All About Birds does not show them wintering here and yet they are seen most years and there have been quite a few reports of Trumpeter Swans in the county this winter.
My Everyday Photos 