We see a very few Trumpeter Swans on Cranberry Lake each winter. This year I've seen 8,
3 of them youngsters, which is a good number, going by recent history. Unfortunately
the young ones weren't available for portraits.
These were taken Saturday, where Drake St meets the lake. This was my second try, the
first time I was just getting in range, and the swans were resting onshore, when some fool
let his pitbull off leash, and that put paid to photographs.
An interesting piece of trivia - the brown stains on the head and neck is rust. Their diet of
water plants is very rich in iron, which the body can't all absorb. The
excess iron is put in the feathers, where it rusts.
You make up for the limited numbers with some gorgeous closeups. I had no idea the light coloration was diet related. That's interesting. We get a couple of small flocks here - two to three dozen, perhaps. The greater numbers - thousands - come to the Skagit Valley, north of Seattle.
ReplyDeleteI've seen swans on Powell Lake three times in sixteen years, twice on the lower lake and once in Hole in the wall. Each time they were too far away or quick for photos. - Margy
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