RHH's photos with the keyword: cygnus

Trumpeter Swans photographed at the W. K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary near Battle Creek, Michigan, while on an outing with my father.

Trumpeter Swan photographed at the W. K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary near Battle Creek, Michigan - we were there on an outing with my father.

The mute Swan is not native to North America but has been introduced from Europe and Asia and has established itself especially in the eastern USA and Canada. Indeed, it has established itself so well that in some areas it is considered a nuisance, not only for its numbers but also for its agressiveness. We realized this on our recent trip to Michigan when we saw these swans on nearly every lake and pond.

Many Trumpeter Swans winter in the fields of the Pacific Northwest. These swans were in the Skagit Valley near Mount Vernon, Washington, when the photo was taken. The mountain in the background is Mount Olympus on the Olympic Peninsula across Puget Sound.

Many of these once rare swans winter in our area and can be seen in the fields and ponds. These were photographed just south of town and along the river.

Mute Swans are not native but a European species introduced into North America that have naturalized. This swan was photographed at Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, during an autumn visit there. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/12/stanley-park-vancouver-part-3-lost.html

There are large flocks of swans feeding in the fields south of the town where we live. I was out today and took some photos of them both on the ground and in the air. It appeared that the flocks were a mix both of Tundra or Whistling Swans and Trumpeter Swans. I believe the swans in this shots are Trumpeters. As you can see, the sky is rather threatening and by the time I finished taking pictures a storm had moved in and it was beginning to rain. Trumpeter Swans were hunted for their feathers and were hunted nearly to extinction in the early 1900's but have made a comeback and are quite common now. These birds can live to be as old as 30 years and often mate for life. There is some great information on Trumpeter Swans at this address: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Trumpeter_Swan/lifehistory

Trumpeter Swans heading into an approaching rain storm.