Thursday’s trip to see the dentist in Vancouver and have lunch with old friends turned out better than I would ever have expected, Although the weather was quite varied, I saw more sunshine than I’ve seen in weeks.
And on my visit to Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge I was greeted by the largest flock of Tundra Swans I’ve ever seen. In fact, I spent so much time trying to get pictures of them that I nearly was late for my luncheon.
Of course, seeing new birds is often no assurance that you’ll actually manage to get decent pictures, as it’s often much later when you’ve observed them that you learn where you need to be to get the best shots, which didn’t prevent me from shooting nearly two hundred shots, most of which have already been deleted.
I spent the greater part of the morning sitting in a blind observing the Tundra Swans taking off in small groups from the far side of the lake,
circling back at the end of the lake, and then making a fly by as they headed back north.
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Later, we saw a small flock paddle slowly south on the lake,
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only to be greeted by two swans charging the group, honking wildly. I was sure we were in for a territorial fight,
but they stopped before they close enough to actually hurt each other. In fact, one of the two joined the other group while the other swan floated away nonchalantly.
I actually got better pictures of other birds I’ll be posting the next few days, but for me these are the most memorable pictures of the day.
The confrontational scene is particularly nice
They are beautiful!
I agree Shelley. It’s the one picture that actually seems like a good picture if you see it blown up to fill a thirty inch screen.
It’s also different than most pictures I’ve seen of Tundra Swans, while all the others are pretty traditional.
I hear music when I see these photos. And not just “Swan Lake.” I find your photos to be emotionally moving. Thanks so much, loren!
Stunning photos as always, Loren.
I wish to you and to your family a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!