Saturday, June 1, 2024

Saturday Critters #546

 Thursday we took a ride to Lake of the Lilies to see if the swans had returned, they had.
There were at least 30 or so swans, but only a handful of ducks.
The reed grasses were filled with Red Winged Blackbirds, buzzing all around, 
flying too quickly to get any good pictures.
This guy looked so pretty floating around in the water, feathers fluffed out.


Mute Swans sexes are similar, only that the male has a larger basal knob, (on it's bill)
which I thought was obvious in these images making it a male.

When I came home I did a little research on why a swan swims with its feathers fluffed like this.

They do this to appear larger to a predator and to scare off another bird from its territory.

Interesting, right...

As I looked over I saw the female, tending to the four babies, he was "fluffed out" to protect them.


They were so tiny and so far away.

There were a total of 4 right now, I am sure she birthed more.

Such a wonderful, beautiful sight...I really adore seeing the moms with their babies.

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 
Viewing Nature With Eileen 
for Saturday Critters

19 comments:

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

Wow! What a treat to see these beautiful birds and their new offspring. Gorgeous photos.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Debbie,
The swans are a pretty sight to see and the babies are adorable.
Lovely photos of the swan family. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

Rian said...

Your pics and the swans with their offspring are wonderful!

DeniseinVA said...

Swans are such regal birds and those cygnets are adorable! Thank you for sharing these gorgeous photos Debbie, and Happy June!

Villrose said...

A beutiful post with the lovely swan femily :)

BeachGypsy said...

Swans are so beautiful and ELEGANT to me and those BABIES--- so sweet!! I've also NEVER seen anyone photograph swans better than YOU, Debbie! Amazing pictures.

RedPat said...

Such wonderful shots of this family. The little ones are so cute.

Marie Smith said...

Wonderful captures, Debbie. That is a beautiful family!

Little Wandering Wren said...

Brilliant photos - the one with the riffled feathers really does remind me of ballet costumes from Swan Lake!
Have a great week!
Wren x

acorn hollow said...

So graceful wonderful pictures.
Cathy

Jim and Barb's Adventures said...

So cute! We've seen a few baby gosling so far, but that's it

carol l mckenna said...

Wow! Awesome photography of the beautiful Swans and their babies ~ hugs,

Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Swans are so beautiful and the little ones just make watching them even better! Happy June my friend and thanks for sharing so many wonderful words to describe nature!

Mae Travels said...

Swans really are an invitation to photographers! I think they fluff the feathers to make better photos (just kidding). I’ve never understood the “ugly duckling” description as I think the cygnets are also very photogenic and cute.

What’s with the weird comments that recap your post?

best, mae

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

We seem to have similar themes this week.. the lock and the swans.. so funny.

Natasha said...

Such gorgeous swans. Your photography is par excellence.

Good to be swinging by.
Cheers!

Conniecrafter said...

Oh my goodness the babies are just the cutest, I didn't know why the fluffed up their feathers like that, it does make them look bigger!

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