Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Tundra Swans | Sarnia/ Lambton County Nature Photographers

A sure sign that spring is on its way in Lambton County, is the return of the tundra swans. They are usually only here for a few short weeks at the most and virtually always arrive sometime in March.

The tundra swans are a majestic site flying in their large V formations and landing in flooded fields and bogs. One hopes that upon their arrival that they will set down close enough that you won't need binoculars the entire time. At about 1.3m from beak tip to tail, one would think they would be very visible while resting in the fields, but it's not until they're up in the air that you fully realize how large and beautiful these birds really are.

This year we had the opportunity to see the swans up close and personal. Although it looked like it could rain at any moment, we loaded up the kids in the van and headed out to see what we could see. We were surprised to discover a field covered in swans before we reached the bogs where they normally love to rest. We drove to  the bogs, but they were empty. We did find some resting in the flood plains, but they were too far away to even see well with the binoculars, let alone get a photo of them, so we drove back to where we first saw them.


At first they were only sitting in the field, but then some Canada geese who were hanging out with them decided to take flight with a big ruckus, which in turn caused the swans to become a little restless and take flight in small to large groups. The other great part? The clouds were broken and there were large patches of blue sky and even some sunshine!


What a fun and beautiful morning enjoying more of God's majestic creation.

Because we remember moments, not days...

3 comments:

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Those are beautiful!! I love the shots from underneath while they're flying. Very well done.

Serena said...

You got some AMAZING shots!

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