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Monday, October 12, 2009

I Found the Swans Again!

If you have read my blog for a while, you know that I was thrilled this spring to find some wild swans on a pond off the side of a secondary highway in the U.P. I had posted some pictures of them when I saw them the first time. (you can go to my search engine at the bottom of my blogposts and put in "swans" and call up the post).

Then, mid-summer I begged my husband to go back to the same pond to see if I could find the wild swans again. He didn't think they would still be there, but again ,we were thrilled to see the a second time! (I also wrote another blogpost of seeing them again).

Well, as you may have guessed by now, I begged my husband again to go and see if we could find them. He assured me that there was NO way they would still be in the same pond after raising their young and that by this late in the autumn, they would be long gone from the U.P.

And, thank goodness he was WRONG.

Lo and behold, they were there, and their babies were now full grown (although light gray in color rather than white, like their parents).

They were shy and didn't stay out in the open long when they spotted us. And, my zoom had to strain to see them clearly as they were wayyyyy back in the far side of the pond. But I was SO happy to get one more chance to see them and photograph them.

So, without any more delay, here you go:

Look CLOSE, in the front of Mama and Papa swan and you will see the gray youngsters:


I see ONE of the babies in this shot:





There is one baby to the left of the parents in this shot:


At one point, I swear I saw THREE babies and two adults, but I don't have clear enough pictures to share with you to prove that.
But here is another shot of the happy family:



Even though blowing up the photos makes them a bit blurry, I enlarged this one so you could see them a little closer:
I was amazed that the babies where almost as big as their parents already.
There is one place in the U.P. where the swans stayed the entire winter here.
So, stay tuned....
I just may beg my hubby one more time to check out if they stayed here all winter later this year.
I do rather doubt that they will, though because the water they are using here in this little pond will surely freeze over solid.
They may stay in the U.P though, if they fly somewhere on Lake Superior where the water may stay open all winter, depending on how cold it gets...

24 comments:

Jientje said...

Aaaah, beautiful!!
Did I ever mention I LOVE swans?

Insanitykim said...

So precious! Fantastic pictures and story behind them, as always! :)

blushing rose said...

They are one of my favorite birds. You, ladybug, take the BEST pics ever. I enjoy every minute I spend with you. TYSM

Have a warm crisp autumn day ... TTFN ~Marydon

Bernie said...

Oh how those swans have grown and other than the color they would be the same size as their parents. Great photos Joan.....:-) Hugs

Brian Miller said...

beautiful. swans make me think of my wife who was a ballerina...and danced in Swan Lake. smiles.

Wanda..... said...

You know Joan the babies are sort of camouflaged...their long necks match the gray of the dead trees.
Beautiful photos!

L. D. said...

Wow, you are so lucky to see that. I hope that the babies have mature wings so they can fly south. They look almost the same size as their parents. Great shots!!!!!!!!

Jenn Jilks said...

Isn't fun when they return?! I think our geese are gone. I had 4 ducks today, though.

The Retired One said...

Jientje: Me too, I just wish I could have gotten closer to them, but this was in an area where there are swamps on 3 sides of the pond and no way to hike into it. If I had a DSL with a gigantic zoom I maybe could have gotten them closer too, but I don't.

Insanity: Thanks. I was thrilled to see them one more time in the wild.

Blushing: How sweet of you to say!

Bernie: Thanks, Bernie. I was so happy to see them. I know you can imagine me being excited as we pulled up in our truck when I spotted them. My husband had to remind me to calm down to get out slowly to catch them on film. ha

Brian: What a sweet thing to say about your wife. I think you two are so in love, EVERYthing reminds you of her. Which is great!

Wanda: I know...they really blended in with the nature that surrounded them, which is great for their safety from predators.

L.D.: Thanks. yes, they grew huge since I saw them in midsummer. There were swamps on 3 sides of this pond, so there was no way I could get closer to get more shots of them...and as soon as they became aware that I was snapping away photos, they swam wayyyyy back in the pond out of sight.

SquirrelQueen said...

Even at that distance they are still so beautiful. The babies do blend in with the background but I see the one. Great shots, what would we do without our telephoto lens.

Judy

The Retired One said...

Jenn: I think these swans have lived here since spring, but are now going to leave us for warmer climate soon.

SquirrelQueen: Yes, they are beautiful, no matter what distance they are from me. I would really miss my telephoto lens, for sure!!

Joanna Jenkins said...

I am sitting here with a big smile on my face. Thanks for sharing the great pictures!
xo

Joanie said...

Lovely swan photos!

The Retired One said...

Joanna: Thanks to you for reading my blog and leaving such a sweet compliment!

Joanie: Thanks! They are beautiful creatures, aren't they?

Loree said...

Swans are just gorgeous. I love them too.

Sue said...

Your husband sounds like mine-wonderful. Don may roll his eyes when I want to go out picture-takiing, but he alays obliges. Secretly, I just KNOW he has a good time. He's just to crotchey to admit it!
:D

ashley folkema said...

Wow! Glad to guys went to check. Swans are so majestic. Now that makes me want to go on the hunt for them.

The Retired One said...

Loree: They are so graceful aren't they?

Sue: Yes, he is quite a help and very willing to encourage my addiction of photography. Sometimes he doesn't want to go, but then he will suggest something to shoot while we are out there and when the shot turns out good, he loves it.

Ashley: I was so happy to be right about them still being there! Of course, my hubby said:"I suppose I know where you will want to go first thing this spring!"and I laughed and said, OF COURSE!!!

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

They are just beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen swans in a natural setting, just manmade places. I hope you can see them again!

Unknown said...

Swans are just so graceful and your photos always do justice.

Shelley said...

I'm ready to drive up and bring my heated birdbath up there so we can keep those swans! Just kidding! it's not big enough...shoot! Wonderful shots!!!

The Retired One said...

Catherine: I know, they are rare here to see in the wild too.

Gaston: Thanks so much..yes they are graceful, peaceful birds to watch.

Shelley: Yes, you'd need a heated bathtub or hot tub for those guys! I hope they return in the spring to the same pond. You KNOW I will be waiting there for them.

Rick (Ratty) said...

This is great! I've only seen swans once. Last summer when I was visiting a state park that's close to me. I don't think I ever featured them in a post. I wish I would have done it. Of course, I saw no babies to show off either. Maybe that's why they're still there. My geese only left when the babies finally grew up.

The Retired One said...

Ratty: You can still post your old photos of the swans, I would love to see them!

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I retired in June 2008 and started my blog in November 2008. I worked at several jobs as a Registered Nurse prior to retirement. I LOVE being retired! Blogging has offered me a whole new venue to start writing again and to share new hobbies such as gardening, birdwatching and sharing my nature photography. If you like my blog, PLEASE click on "follow this blog". Having a lot of followers reading my blog gives me incentive to continue to do photography and to continue to write. I also LOVE comments, so I encourage you to leave me a comment after you read my posts. Thanks everyone, for taking the time to read me!!

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