Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator
LaSalle Park and Marina
Burlington, ON
3 December 2013
Surely one of the most magnificent birds in all the avian kingdom, Trumpeter Swans find winter refuge along the north shore of Lake Ontario, with the greatest concentrations at LaSalle Park in Burlington.
I have no idea how many times I have visited these splendid creatures, but never often enough, and I hope to do it a thousand times again. My soul is stirred at their sight, my sense of the wildness of nature enhanced by their trumpeting calls; I am peace with myself when I am in their presence.
Here are adults with the young of the year, all banded and wing-tagged to help monitor their movements and protect them at all costs.
Canada Geese Branta canadensis are large birds by most standards; here next to Trumpeter Swans they appear small.
Tranquility and peaceful coexistence are not always the order of the day, and this individual is displaying hostility towards another.
Finally a bout of intra-specific aggression erupts.
Contrast the difference between the adult bill and the juvenile bill.
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| Adult |
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| Juvenile |
And the feet.
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| Adult |
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| Juvenile |
When we left the sun was beginning to set and the swans were settling down for the night. I wish them safe passage through the hours of darkness
and the enjoyment of another day tomorrow.
What beautiful words you put with these beautiful swans and gorgeous photographs. We are hoping to present you with approximately 200 by Christmas. That is a little more than a "Partridge in a pear tree don't you think. Hope you get down to see the new swans that arrive every day. Always exciting to see who return. Bev.
ReplyDeleteRest assured we'll be back, Bev.
ReplyDeleteI think that swans really great to see. Here are just mute swans and in the winter there are small and large wild zwanan overwinter.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Waarzom are already so marked that these swans with yellow labels?
Helma: These swans have been reintroduced into Ontario after being hunted out of existence early in the twentieth century. All breeding birds and their offspring are carefully monitored and equipped with large wing tags to map their movements.
ReplyDelete