Thursday, March 19, 2009

Swans

There's nothing like a beautiful pair of Swans t0 start out a day at work. Running into these two was a lovely chance, though I think he would have prefered I not be so lucky. In hindsight I would have taken more time (much to Mr. Swans dismay) and tried different settings so as to get better definition of their feathers. But I'm not a professional and I still think they are beautiful.


The male Swan, (the Cob), right, kept a very close eye on the female (the Pen), left. I was suprised he was bigger and whiter than her. In the past I'd never noticed the difference.










I've never heard a Swan cluck before but that's exactly what he was doing as he came towards me. Mr. Swan was very protective of his mate and I could tell he felt threatened.














See how he kept looking back at me? He wanted to make sure I wasn't following him or threatening his lady.




I'm assuming they have moved inland by now. At the time many of the local ponds and lakes were frozen over, and though some still are, some have just a small amount of ice remaining, or none at all.


Thank you for stopping by. I'd love to hear from you!



26 comments:

nikkicrumpet said...

What amazing pictures. They are so beautiful...but dang the little buggers are sooooo mean! When we lived on the lake we'd go out in our paddle boat...and those darn things would attack us! I got so darn tired of being chased around by those meanies! But they are gorgeous....from a distance!

A New England Life said...

Oh gosh you had me laughing Nikki! I've heard they can be very mean too but never experienced it. I kept my distance in case he decided to come after me. Luckily that didn't happen, but he has that look in his eye . . .

Kim said...

Such gorgeous, vivid photos of the swans!

Anonymous said...

:) Shooting swans can be rewarding. Great set of photos.

Anonymous said...

He really was giving you the eye, wasn't he! Gorgeous creatures but like Nikki said, I'd certainly never want to get to close and take a change at being flapped to smithereens...

Di

Anonymous said...

My father has a pair of swans on a small pond next to my Aunt's house. They were beautiful but they were rather mean. We couldn't let the little ones out there by themselves. They had babies and they were precious. Thanks for sharing the photos. You did a good job.

Connie said...

These are stunning! Thanks for sharing.

Cedar ... said...

What a great series of photos... well done! He certainly was leary of you, and protecting his lady!

Jayne said...

They are beautiful Sharon. Just beautiful. And what a good mate he is being! :c)

Vodka Mom said...

Those were really incredible! When I was visiting my sister in Mystic last summer, there was a swan at the beach that just hung around all morning!! It was awesome!!

The Retired One said...

Your photos are beautiful! Thank you for sharing them...I have never been lucky enough to get near them to get a shot...and you got several!!!

Kerri Farley said...

OH Sharon....these are Gorgeous shots of the Swans. I visit some Canada Geese at a local park....and the gentleman in that bunch is always doing the same thing.

Anonymous said...

No swans in Saskatchewan at the moment - due no doubt to the giant snowbanks...and not to get into too much 'biology', but how do you tell the difference between the male and the female? They look the same to me..(I'm almost embarrassed to ask!! saucy will yell 'AACCKK, MOOTTHHERRR!)
The photos are so pretty, sigh, I can hardly wait for spring!xxoo the fan

The Good Life in Virginia said...

what a lovely series of swan photographs...each and every one.
i enjoyed so much.
thanks for sharing with us.

Beth at Aunties said...

You are amazing! Loved these photos of the swans. Seriously have you showed your work to a calendar company? I would buy one!
Have you noticed I am still using your gift?
Thanks for being such a sweetie!

Dog Trot Farm said...

Sharon what lovely photos. I wish I had just a tiny bit of your photographic talent!

2 Dogs said...

Beautiful but mean aren't they. The weather here is still crazy. One day hot and the next it's cold. We had frost on the ground this morning. Is it really spring?
Hugs

Elaine said...

Oh chivalry isn't dead! The male is so protective of his lady. Great shots- swans are such fabulous creatures.

J.G. said...

I'm entraced by the beads of water on his head in the last picture, and the look of the water behind him. Lovely!

Becky said...

They are so graceful. About 3 blocks from me, there is a lake abounding with white swans, black ones and the white ones with black necks. I love to see them floating with their wings up. We also have big swan statues, hand painted with whimsical themes, everyway you can imagine all over town. They used to be all around the lake, then they auctioned them off and the people that won them now display them.

Anonymous said...

A lovely sight, those swans. Thanks for sharing. I am enjoying your blog!

Eve said...

Just beautiful Sharon. You just don't want to get him upset!!

Anonymous said...

What beautiful pictures !! It's giving me spring fever. Thanks for sharing.

Donna said...

Those are beautiful photos of beautiful, graceful creatures! You are so fortunate to see swans now and then on your way to work. I don't remember seeing any around here in Connecticut in the wild.

Mary said...

I rarely see them! I guess I don't go to the right places...

They are elegant and you show that well.

Anonymous said...

These are gorgeous! I don't miss the detail of the feathers at all. I have that problem when I photograph egrets. The white picks up light so easily. They have a couple of these swans at the zoo. I much prefer the blue water yours are in.