Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Swan

Yesterday morning, 19 October 2019, 10 of us set out on a day birding trip south of the city, to Pine Coulee Reservoir. Each year, I never expect to come home with photos of birds, as they are always very, very distant. However, I love that whole area, with its rolling hills and endless Alberta sky, but I have not yet driven there myself. On day outings, we always carpool to be as environmentally friendly as possible. We spent just over three hours driving around the lake, a distance of almost 24 km, making stops at various points to check for (mainly) waterfowl. Several distant, sunlit Swans flew over, and an extremely distant Rough-legged Hawk kept our attention for a few minutes. At one location, a few Swans were mixed in with Canada Geese and ducks - somewhat closer, but photos were not really worth posting. We stopped at a campsite along the edge of the reservoir and did a short walk. A lone Pine Grosbeak did what Grosbeaks like to do - find a really tall tree and perch at the top of it. I posted a photo of it, just for the record. Hopefully, this bird will eventually find the rest of its flock or be able to join a new group. As always happens, my camera lens turned to other things as well. Scenic shots tend to be the main subject, including a few taken looking into the sun, along with some reasonably interesting skies. At one viewpoint, I spotted a lonely caterpillar slowly making its way over one of the large rocks that edged a parking lot. No idea what species of moth it will turn into. Normally, we would have stayed out a bit longer, but our day was cut short as a few of us needed to get back to the city, ready to go to the annual "Banquet" in the evening. This year's guest speaker was Dr. Robert Berdan, who spoke mainly about micro-photography. Amazing what micro images and videos he captures. I had first met him when he did some work for me. The brand new National Museum of Qatar had requested to use 24 of my very old Middle East photos taken in Doha, Qatar. They needed the photos to be scanned at museum quality, and Dr. Berdan did this for me. Many thanks for the ride, Tony! Appreciated so much, as I had planned to take a cab. You did brilliantly, getting us out of the awful, tangled web of new roads/construction on the way home. A total maze, even more so in the dark. Thanks for a very enjoyable trip, Tony, as always. You guys did really well to find 41 species!

All five photos posted this morning were taken on 28 October 2018, when a group of 15 of us went S of the city on a birding trip to one of my favourite areas. This included Chain Lakes and Pine Coulee Reservoir. I just love some of the landscape through which we drove - barren, rugged, middle-of-nowhere kind of scenery. It looks so different in each season - I think my favourite time of year is when there is a covering of snow on the empty hills and ice on most of the water. I've still not had the courage to drive in this area myself, as I know that I might never find my way out. As on almost all these day trips out of the city, almost every bird is far, far away, needing at least binoculars and best of all, a scope. Also, as always happens, my camera lens turns to things other than birds. Scenic shots are always taken - after all, I feel that it is important to record the habitat of any birds seen. We saw so many Swans (Tundra and Trumpeter) on various sloughs and in flight. What a sight they were, with the sun shining on their pure white feathers. Love to hear the Trumpeter Swans "trumpeting". A huge thrill was when our leader led us to a small creek where there were four American Dippers, happily bobbing and dipping, and swimming under water. They weren't bothered by our presence at all. The water colours and patterns were beautiful, too. Terry, you took us on yet another amazing trip! You even arranged with the weatherman for a beautiful, sunny day, though the morning was very cold and windy. It couldn't have been a better outing - so very enjoyable. Thanks so much, Linda and Robin, for the ride all day - greatly appreciated! I was off my computer all day the next day, too. My daughter came down for the day, as she had offered to come and help me with sorting through some things and getting rid of all my old electronics at recycle places. It saved me a whole lot of bending (which kills my back) and a lot of lifting. Her help was hugely appreciated!

All three photos posted this morning were taken yesterday, 28 October 2018. A group of 15 of us went S and SE of the city on a birding trip to one of my favourite areas. This included Chain Lakes and Pine Coulee Reservoir. I just love some of the landscape through which we drove - barren, rugged, middle-of-nowhere kind of scenery. It looks so different in each season - I think my favourite time of year is when there is a covering of snow on the empty hills and ice on most of the water. I've still not had the courage to drive in this area myself, as I know that I might never find my way out. As on almost all these day trips out of the city, almost every bird is far, far away, needing at least binoculars and best of all, a scope. Also, as always happens, my camera lens turns to things other than birds. Scenic shots are always taken - after all, I feel that it is important to record the habitat of any birds seen. We saw so many Swans (Tundra and Trumpeter) on various sloughs and in flight. What a sight they were, with the sun shining on their pure white feathers. Love to hear the Trumpeter Swans "trumpeting". A huge thrill was when our leader led us to a small creek where there were four American Diippers, happily bobbing and dipping, and swimming under water. They weren't bothered by our presence at all. Terry, you took us on yet another amazing trip! You even arranged with the weatherman for a beautiful, sunny day. It couldn't have been a better outing - so very enjoyable. Thanks so much, Linda and Robin, for the ride all day - greatly appreciated! I have been off my computer all day today, too. My daughter came down for the day, as she had offered to come and help me with sorting through some things and getting rid of all my old electronics at recycle places. It saved me a whole lot of bending (which kills my back) and a lot of lifting. Her help was hugely appreciated! Tonight is THE night, ha, ha! I am going to set two or three mouse traps (which is how I started out about 6 months ago, but I caught nothing). I absolutely dread going downstairs tomorrow morning, in case the traps have caught something. If they were successful, friends are coming over straight away to remove it/them for me!! I just hope I don't hear the snap of a trap or any squealing!!!

This is a photo of a Trumpeter Swan, one of the six Swans seen at the Sibbald ponds yesterday, 23 October 2016. More information about this small group can be seen in the report below, written by our leader, Howard Heffler, along with the eBird list compiled by Nimali S., with thanks to both of them! "Thirteen participants met at Assumption School at 8:30 AM and spent the day birding several locations west of Calgary. We first stopped at Jumping Pound pond. There were both species of swan and a few puddle ducks. We made another quick stop at Sibbald ponds where there were six swans. It appeared to be a family of five Trumpeters and one lonely Tundra. The (apparent) Tundra was all white but had a mostly pink bill. It was being harassed by the others so we concluded (speculated) was a second year bird that still had a pink bill (or maybe a first year bird that had turned white prematurely??). It was smaller than the others and was obviously an outcast. If anyone has any thoughts they would be most welcome. It was cold and windy at Bow Valley Park and a quick walk on Flowing Waters trail proved fruitless so we moved to the Seebe dam. Again there were a few swans and ducks but the cold winds seemed unfriendly to birds and birders alike. In Exshaw it was still cold and windy and there were few birds. However, a flock of about 45 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch was the highlight of the day. These are such active birds and their feeding habits are fun to watch as the flock seems to roll forward along the ground as the birds in the back leap-frog the leaders. The Canmore Visitor Center was an excellent (warm and comfortable) bathroom and lunch stop. Harvie Heights offered a few boreal birds but not as many as hoped for. An interesting note for future planning is that the community prohibits bird feeders until November 1st in an effort to reduce conflicts with bears or cougars. Thanks to Nimali S. for keeping track of species and doing the eBird postings. The combined list for the day (including species seen while driving) was: Snow Goose 1 Canada Goose 63 Trumpeter Swan 37 Tundra Swan 30 American Wigeon 3 Mallard 40 Common Merganser 1 Common Loon 2 Western Grebe 1 Rough-legged Hawk 2 Rock Pigeon 9 Downy Woodpecker 1 Gray Jay 2 Clark's Nutcracker 3 Black-billed Magpie 6 Common Raven 2 Black-capped Chickadee 6 Mountain Chickadee 7 Boreal Chickadee 1 (heard only) Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 45 White-winged Crossbill 1 House Sparrow 2 Howard Heffler Calgary"

This photo and the next one were taken yesterday, 22 October 2016, when I went on a birding day trip with a group of friends, east of Calgary. I will add our leader's eBird list of species seen, as soon as I have it. We had beautiful weather for these few hours and we saw plenty of birds. Unfortunately, all the birds were extremely far away, as usual, so all I got were very distant shots of a mass of birds, plus photos of a somewhat closer Ring-billed Gull and the much smaller Bonaparte's Gull. In the breeding season, the Bonaparte's Gull has a black head, but at this time of year,, it is white with a black dot on each cheek. There were quite a few Geese of different species - Canada Geese, Snow Geese and Greater White-fronted Geese. All the usual ducks were to be seen at the various sloughs. (This morning, I was up at an unearthly hour again, as I have a trip with various friends, this time going west of the city.) The following is our leader, Andrew Hart's, excellent write-up for the trip, plus the eBird lists of species seen, compliled by birder, Rose Painter. Thanks so much to both of you for this very enjoyable day! "Fourteen participants left Carburn Park and headed east of Calgary. When we started out, the temperature was just above freezing with ominous clouds, and an occasional biting wind. By lunchtime, this started to lift and we ended up with a beautiful, sunny afternoon with temperatures around 15 deg C. Our first stops were around Chestermere Lake. Highlights were six Trumpeter Swans, a foretaste of more to be seen later, over 300 Bonaparte's Gulls, a single Lesser Yellowlegs along with the 40+ Greater Yellowlegs, and a pair of Wilson's Snipe. From there we went to McElroy Slough and then worked our way east along Inverlake Road. At the large slough by Hwy 791, we saw several Snow Geese wheeling around in the distance. Obligingly, they saw us and flew towards us and straight overhead. This allowed us to get a fairly accurate count of 300, which included three "blue" geese. We started seeing Rough Legged Hawks along here, the first seven of at least eight seen through the day. Other raptors here included Harriers and Red-Tailed Hawks (two, both dark morph). Leaving that area, we saw a late Great Blue Heron and 30 American Tree Sparrows. We stopped for lunch at Strathmore and then went, in the vastly improved weather, to the south end of Eagle Lake. Approaching, we were lucky enough to see a Northern Shrike, which helpfully perched on a nearby snag, allowing good views for everyone. The first impression at the lake was the relatively large number of swans. The swans were mostly Tundra, but some Trumpeter. Then we noticed about twenty Greater White-fronted Geese swimming around by the near shore. There were waterfowl spread all over the lake, probably thousands in total. As we were watching, we saw a flurry of activity on the far shore and the sky slowly filled up. The reason (culprit) was a lone adult Bald Eagle gliding over the lake. Its presence scared up a cloud of geese, about 1000 each of Greater White-fronted Geese and Snow Geese. Next, we went to the large slough south of Township Rd 230 and west of RR 245. I have heard this called Alkali Lake, but I have also heard this description used for other lakes in the area. From the north end of the lake, we could just about discern a thin line of mixed geese on the west shore. As we drove around to the east side we saw more clouds of geese arriving. When we looked again from the east side, we saw about 3000 Greater White-fronted Geese and 8000 Snow Geese, leaving the lake. There were another 500 Snow Geese at the south end. Our final stop was at Carseland overlooking the weir. The highlight here was a pair of Rusty Blackbirds running around in the base of the drained irrigation canal. The complete Ebird checklists (thanks to Rose Painter) were as follows: Number of Checklists: 6 Number of Taxa: 54 Checklists included in this summary: (1): Chestermere Lake Date: Oct 22, 2016, 8:42 AM (2): McElroy Slough Date: Oct 22, 2016, 9:53 AM (3): West Inverlake Slough (Highway 791) Date: Oct 22, 2016, 10:29 AM (4): Eagle Lake Date: Oct 22, 2016, 12:24 PM (5): Namaka Farms Sloughs Date: Oct 22, 2016, 1:35 PM (6): Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park--Carseland Weir Date: Oct 22, 2016, 2:18 PM 4000 Greater White-fronted Goose -- (4),(5) 9800 Snow Goose -- (3),(4),(5) 1 Cackling Goose -- (1) 2860 Canada Goose -- (1),(2),(3),(4) 60 Trumpeter Swan -- (1),(4) 130 Tundra Swan -- (4) 4 Trumpeter/Tundra Swan -- (2) 124 Gadwall -- (2),(4),(5),(6) 188 American Wigeon -- (1),(2),(3),(4),(6) 359 Mallard -- (1),(2),(3),(4),(5),(6) 32 Northern Shoveler -- (1),(3),(4) 205 Northern Pintail -- (1),(2),(3),(4),(5) 8 Green-winged Teal -- (2),(4),(6) 1 Canvasback -- (4) 4 Redhead -- (1) 120 Ring-necked Duck -- (2) 70 Lesser Scaup -- (1),(4) 203 Bufflehead -- (1),(2),(4) 9 Common Goldeneye -- (1) 1 Barrow's Goldeneye -- (1) 1 Common Merganser -- (1) 4 Gray Partridge -- (1) 1 Ruffed Grouse -- (6) 1 Common Loon -- (1) 1 Pied-billed Grebe -- (4) 1 Red-necked Grebe -- (6) 9 Eared Grebe -- (1),(2) 1 Double-crested Cormorant -- (6) 3 American White Pelican -- (6) 1 Great Blue Heron -- (3) 6 Northern Harrier -- (3),(4),(5) 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk -- (4) 1 Bald Eagle -- (4) 3 Red-tailed Hawk -- (1),(3) 8 Rough-legged Hawk -- (3),(4) 451 American Coot -- (1),(2),(3),(4),(6) 13 American Avocet -- (4) 2 Killdeer -- (3),(4) 2 Long-billed Dowitcher -- (4) 2 Wilson's Snipe -- (1) 53 Greater Yellowlegs -- (1),(4),(6) 1 Lesser Yellowlegs -- (1) 302 Bonaparte's Gull -- (1),(6) 402 Ring-billed Gull -- (1),(3),(4),(5),(6) 4 Herring Gull -- (1),(6) 42 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) -- (1),(3),(6) 1 Northern Shrike -- (4) 16 Black-billed Magpie -- (1),(2),(3),(4),(5) 3 American Crow -- (1),(2) 9 Common Raven -- (3),(4),(5) 150 European Starling -- (1),(2),(3),(4),(5) 30 American Tree Sparrow -- (3) 2 Rusty Blackbird -- (6) 5 House Sparrow -- (1),(2) Andrew Hart"

On 19 March 2016, I was on a birding day trip with a group of friends, going SE of Calgary, E of High River. Though the day started off rather cold, it gradually warmed up and was a beautiful day to be out in nature. On a trip l ike this, birds are almost always way off in the distance, so I get very few photos. Did get this fully 48x zoom shot of a few of the beautiful Swans in the area that day. We saw both Tundra and Trumpeter Swans - I think the ones in this photo are Trumpeters. A lovely sign of spring on the day before the official date of spring's arrival. I will add our leader's report that he sent into eBird, adding that I did not see all of the sightings, as the birds were much too far away. As always, my camera lens was turned to various other things, too. Thanks so much, as always, Andrew, for a most enjoyable day! Thanks, too, Anne, for driving - I really appreciated the ride! "We had 16 participants when we left Calgary on a sunny but frosty morning. We arrived at the main gate around 10:00 am and set off, in a chilly -5 deg C to walk down to the outfall and then around to the blind. The recent cold nights had refrozen some of the lake, but it is still mostly open water. Most obvious were the thousands of Pintails and hundreds of swans (mostly Tundra today). We did see the overwintering (presumably) Song Sparrow near the outfall. About 60-80 California Gulls, no other gulls that we could identify. We left and went to High River for lunch, stopping by the Sutherland Shelterbelt to acknowledge the resident Great Horned Owl. After lunch we circled the lake on the usual roads and ended up at the Basin 2 West Bay. Several more swans and finally, the Eurasian Wigeon, spotted by Tony Timmons. By lunchtime the temperature had reached about 10 deg C and continued to rise reaching ~14 deg C and making a perfect Alberta Spring (almost) afternoon. Leaving Frank Lake we stopped in at Blackie to find mostly Starlings, and a few Eurasian Collared Doves. The list for Frank Lake and Blackie was: Checklists included in this summary: (1): Frank Lake--NW lookout/blind Date: Mar 19, 2016, 9:55 AM (2): Sutherland's Shelterbelt (private property) Date: Mar 19, 2016, 12:30 PM (3): Frank Lake--Basin 2 (Southeast Corner) Date: Mar 19, 2016, 2:15 PM (4): Frank Lake--Basin 2 (West Bay) Date: Mar 19, 2016, 3:05 PM (5): Blackie (hamlet) Date: Mar 19, 2016, 4:10 PM 650 Canada Goose -- (1),(3),(4) 4 Trumpeter Swan -- (1) 225 Tundra Swan -- (1),(4) 3 Gadwall -- (1) 2 Eurasian Wigeon -- (4) 60 American Wigeon -- (1),(4) 160 Mallard -- (1),(3),(4) 2 Northern Shoveler -- (4) 4550 Northern Pintail -- (1),(3),(4) 24 Canvasback -- (1),(4) 76 Redhead -- (1),(4) 5 Lesser Scaup -- (4) 150 Common Goldeneye -- (1),(4) 2 Gray Partridge -- (2) 1 Northern Harrier -- (4) 2 Bald Eagle -- (1),(3) 5 Killdeer -- (1),(2) 80 California Gull -- (1) 6 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) -- (3),(5) 4 Eurasian Collared-Dove -- (5) 2 Great Horned Owl -- (2) 1 Merlin -- (5) 5 Black-billed Magpie -- (1),(2) 1 Common Raven -- (3) 3 Horned Lark -- (1) 51 European Starling -- (2),(5) 2 American Tree Sparrow -- (1) 1 Song Sparrow -- (1) 8 House Finch -- (5) 20 House Sparrow -- (2),(5) From Blackie we stopped by Third Lake on the way back to Calgary. A huge number of birds there, somewhere between 4000 and 8000, generally somewhat distant. Mostly Pintails, but we also saw American Wigeon, Mallard, a few Canada Geese, and California Gulls. Clearly Pintails are on the move right now." Andrew Hart

This photo was taken on 17 October 2015, when I spent the day birding with six friends. We travelled west of the city, the direction that I don't often get to see, mostly along Highway 1, turning off in a few places to see what species we could find. Overall, it was a very quiet day as far as birding goes. At this particular pond, we watched several distant Swans, which are always nice to see. The two in this photo are Tundra Swans, but there were also Trumpeter Swans on the pond. This particular pond is part of the Trumpeter Swan's migratory path. "True to its name, the Tundra Swan breeds on the high tundra across the top of North America. It winters in large flocks along both coasts, and is frequently encountered during its migration across the continent." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tundra_Swan/lifehistory While my friends were checking out the few other waterfowl, I just had to turn around and take a few photos of an old orange/red barn in the distance (seen in the next photo). I wasn't sure just where we were, but last night I went on Google Earth and eventually found the exact place. I also discovered that there is a whole lot more about this barn and the ranch it belongs to. It also has a whole movie set in Western theme (i.e. old saloon, etc.), which has been used in a long list of movies. We also did an enjoyable walk along the Flowing Waters Trail in Bow Valley Provincial Park - a highlight there was seeing a Brown Creeper. Here is our leader, Andrew Hart's report, that he sent in to e-Bird. Thanks, Andrew, for the list and of course for a most enjoyable day, as always. "Seven of us met to head west on what was initially a chilly morning which promised to warm up later. Our first stop was at the Jumping Pound Pond where we saw a family of five Trumpeter Swans along with a few assorted ducks. We then worked our way along the back roads parallel to Hwy 1 checking out the sloughs. Only one (about half way to the Sibbalt turnoff) was really productive, yielding 18 Tundra Swans and several waterfowl including some Hooded Mergansers. We then headed to Bow Valley Provincial Park, where we were met by very strong winds. Possibly because of the winds we did not see very much on our walk around the Flowing Waters Trail, several flocks of White-Winged Crossbills were the easiest to see. We did have one Brown Creeper which seemed to be blown up the slope towards us and almost slammed into a lone tree on the ridge path. We passed the Seebe Dam en route to Exshaw, but again slim (to say the least) findings at both locations. We saw about four Rough-legged Hawks between stops. Here is what we saw at the stops. Checklists included in this summary: (1): Jumping Pound Pond Date: Oct 17, 2015, 8:50 AM (2): CA-AB-Rocky View No. 44-45240 Township Road 252 - 51.1252x-114.5434 Date: Oct 17, 2015, 9:10 AM (3): Bow Valley PP - Flowing Waters Trails Date: Oct 17, 2015, 10:10 AM (4): Seebe Dam Date: Oct 17, 2015, 12:25 PM (5): Exshaw Date: Oct 17, 2015, 12:55 PM 38 Canada Goose -- (1),(4) 5 Trumpeter Swan -- (1) 18 Tundra Swan -- (2) 4 Gadwall -- (2) 41 American Wigeon -- (1),(2),(4) 204 Mallard -- (1),(2),(4) 12 Northern Shoveler -- (1) 26 Green-winged Teal -- (2) 2 Ring-necked Duck -- (2) 6 Hooded Merganser -- (2) 4 American Coot -- (2) 4 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) -- (1) 2 Black-billed Magpie -- (2),(5) 1 Common Raven -- (3) 2 Black-capped Chickadee -- (3) 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch -- (3) 1 Brown Creeper -- (3) 6 Golden-crowned Kinglet -- (3) 2 American Robin -- (5) 1 European Starling -- (1) 46 White-winged Crossbill -- (3),(4) 10 Pine Siskin -- (3) 20 House Sparrow -- (5) Andrew Hart"

These gorgeous Trumpeter Swans couldn't have picked a more beautiful setting, with the very distant Rocky Mountains (not seen in this closer shot) in the distance. The sun was shining brightly and the white feathers were dazzling. Quite near the beginning of a day of driving the backroads SE of Calgary on 14 April 2014, my daughter suddenly spotted them through a row of trees and bushes. We pulled over and walked a few steps to the edge of a huge field, and were in awe of these large, graceful birds. I think this was just a temporary stretch of water in the field, from all the recently melting snow, but there was enough room on it for the dozen or so Swans.

These gorgeous Trumpeter Swans couldn't have picked a more beautiful setting, with the very distant (but 48x zoomed) Rocky Mountains in the distance. The sun was shining brightly and the white feathers were dazzling - doesn't really show in my photo. Quite near the beginning of a day of driving the backroads SE of Calgary on 14 April 2014, my daughter suddenly spotted them through a row of trees and bushes. We pulled over and walked a few steps to the edge of a huge field, and were in awe of these large, graceful birds. Not sure if this was just a temporary stretch of water in the field, from all the recently melting snow, or a more permanent "slough". Plenty of room for the dozen or so Swans. Wish I was out there right now, though on a sunny day, unlike today. It's Good Friday today, the beginning of the Easter weekend. Beautiful, sunny weather would have been nice, especially for working people who get the day off. Instead, it's gloomy and unpleasant, looking like it's going to either rain or snow. Just checked the forecast and it's 1°C (windchill -2°C) this morning, supposedly getting up to 4°C this afternoon, with an 80% chance of rain and snow. Happy Easter weekend to everyone who celebrates!

This photo was taken almost a week ago, on 6 April 2014, when I went with a group of 10 friends to Frank Lake for several hours. This was a "by car" day with barely any walking. Sometimes when we pull over and get out, I can be found looking in the opposite direction to everyone else, taking a photograph of something totally unrelated to birds, lol. You need binoculars or a scope to see most of the birds we come across, which I don't have, but I can never resist the scenery. In this case, I decided to see if I could catch a row of beautiful Tundra Swans flying overhead. Will add Tony Timmons' report for the day - thanks, Tony, both for writing up the list and for taking us down to one of my favourite areas outside the city: "Eleven people were on the trip today, birding Frank Lake and area. We tallied 35 species. Most of the lake is still covered in ice. As many as 10,000 Northern Pintails were seen in the fields, sloughs and flying overhead. Two hundred swans were feeding in the fields. Of note were two Eurasian Wigeons spotted in the shallow sloughs. Canada Goose Tundra Swan Trumpeter Swan Gadwall American Wigeon Eurasian Wigeon Mallard Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Rough-legged Hawk Coot Killdeer Ring-billed Gull California Gull Great Horned Owl Horned Lark Robin Rock Pigeon,Magpie,Crow,Raven,Starling,House Sparrow" As you can see from the list, birds are returning after being elsewhere all winter. Only very distant views of them all, except for one Great Horned Owl on her nest - impossible to get a proper shot because she was hidden by a tangle of branches. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/tundra_swan/lifehistory animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/tundra-swan/

This Trumpeter Swan at the Calgary Zoo was resting quietly while its mate slowly floated nearby. I always think they look so beautiful when they tuck their head into those soft feathers. I see Trumpeter Swans in the wild, too, but always from a distance.

The Trumpeter Swan is locally common from April to October, though I don't get to see them very often. The bird in my photo was at the Calgary Zoo. "The Trumpeter Swan was hunted almost to extinction for its feathers and meat in the early 20th century.... it is hoped that populations will continue to recover". From Birds of Alberta by Fisher & Acorn.

It only looks a little foggy in my photo, though I did make the colour stronger and brighter, but yesterday morning (6 April 2013) was a little foggy when I left Calgary to drive southwards. A walk at Frank Lake had been mentioned, and this sounded really appealing, especially as I have only been brave enough to drive down there since maybe three weeks ago. Shortly after leaving the city behind me, the fog worsened and visiblity was extremely low. Wondering why on earth I was crazy enough to do this, I wasn't sure where I could turn around anyway, as there was a median between the two directions of traffic on this main highway. Also, images of a Short-eared Owl perched on a near fencepost kept popping into my mind - and so I continued on : ) I was the only person to turn up (I wonder why!!!). The result was that I was given three great, information-filled hours of being driven all the way round Frank Lake. Most enjoyable, and priceless as far as giving me more confidence to go back again on my own and do the same drive. Thanks SO much, Greg! Oh, and did we see any Short-eared Owls? No, I guess Greg forgot to tell them that we were coming, lol! However, we did see a slough (small pond) full of gorgeous Trumpeter and Tundra Swans, with various ducks mingled in with them. The weather today? Overcast, dreary and snowing - again. Where am I going? Nowhere! (Note: I have not marked the exact location for the Swans, but instead have marked Frank Lake itself. The Swans were NW of the lake.)

A Trumpeter Swan on a small creek at the Calgary Zoo, taken on March 2nd. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpeter_Swan www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Trumpeter_Swan/lifehistory

One of a pair of beautiful Black Swans swimming on one of the small ponds at the Calgary Zoo. Taken on September 20th. Love the way their feathers curl - not sure if this is a sign of aggression : ) "The Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird, a species of swan, which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. The species was hunted to extinction in New Zealand, but later reintroduced. Within Australia they are nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions. Black Swans are large birds with mostly black plumage (with white flight feathers) and red bills ....The Black Swan is protected under the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1979. It is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Swan

After watching a couple of Tundra Swans on the Glenmore Reservoir yesterday morning, we were then treated to several Trumpeter Swans flying way overhead as we walked down into Weaselhead. Always nice when these elegant birds return here!

Went with a friend south and east of the city yesterday, to Frank Lake and then east to the Shepard area. The wind was terrible - strong and cold! Not a lot of birds in these locations, both of which are very popular with birders. We saw plenty of open water on the various sloughs/ponds, but a good many of the birds were Northern Shovelers. We saw quite a few Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, which is always a treat. These are Trumpeters in this photo. They are dazzling white when the sun shines on them.

Three Trumpeter Swans just starting to take off from one of the sloughs (ponds) outside the city. I prefer seeing them in flight, but thought I'd still post this one.