Monday, February 19, 2018

Mute Swans on the Lake

More from the Lake of the Lillies...

Mute Swans
A large bird, 50 - 60 inches in length with a wing span of about 84 - 92 inches.
It is completely white, has a long graceful neck,
an orange bill with a black knob base, a black face and black feet and legs.

It has a pointed tail and lacy wing feathers.

Males and females look alike,

except that the males are usually a little larger.

They have short legs, but their legs and webbed feet can reach that annoying itch.

I find them to be incredibly beautiful!

oh and they are not mute, it does make a snorting sound and it hisses loudly when threatened. 

and another little ps, does anyone know why the swans neck and head are discolored?

22 comments:

Anvilcloud said...

Nice to see. It has been awhile since I have seen them for real.

Marie Smith said...

Gorgeous creature. The feathers are incredibly fluffy! Evolutionary brilliance!

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

swans rock, don't they...

Latane Barton said...

I was wondering about the 'mute' thing until I read further down on your post. They are truly beautiful birds..

Changes in the wind said...

They are beautiful but why is their head and neck not as white as the rest of them?

Plain Jane said...

Such beautiful birds

Debbie said...

their heads are in the water a lot, i thought perhaps from that. but when i look at the bottom feathers when this one is out of the water, the feathers seem to be bright white. i don't know if i have ever seen one with a bright white neck and face!!

Sally said...

Oh, my! Debbie, they are so beautiful! :)

xoxo

Karen Lakis said...

I had no idea they were so large! You got some beautiful shots!

21 Wits said...

Beautiful captures, they are just a delightful sight to see, and you capture them well! A great place to enjoy.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Beautiful birds. I have heard that in some birds the neck and head feathers are stained from their feeding habits of sticking their heads into the water.There must be something in the water to cause this.

Conniecrafter said...

Beautiful pictures they are amazing birds, I will have to say I googled why their heads are discolored because I had no idea :)

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Wonderful series -- you 'caught' every possible wonderful graceful pose. No clue on the coloring. Here it would probably be because our water looks like tea (but then their whole feathers would be that color owuldn't they?) (We don't have swans here anyway -- have to go to Sarasota/Tampa)....

BeachGypsy said...

I love them too!!-- such pretty abd graceful creatures and wow you got some really really great pictures!! Hope you had a great weekend!

LeAnn said...

Swans are an incredibly beautiful bird. I find it interesting the male and females are a like. I will look forward to you answering the quesiton of why their necks and heads are discolored. You do get the best of shots.
Blessings and hugs!

Laura. M said...

Thanks Debbie! For so much beauty and so good information. The photos are wonderful.
Good tuesday.
Besos.

Debbie said...

tried to visit you and got a message that your profile is not available!!!

Екатерина Балагурова said...

Very beautiful birds! They are so majestic and graceful.

Linda said...

Gorgeous!!

Brian King said...

Wow! The white against the blue is gorgeous!

Kim said...

Such beautiful birds. Love your amazing photos!

Sue (this n that) said...

So beautiful aren't they. I love when they turn their neck around against their back.