Saturday Critters #643

 Mute Swans are a quite large and unmistakable waterbird.

Commonly viewed in the northeast, more during the summer but I do see some in the winter.

Sexes are alike...the adult male has pure white plumage and a large black basal knob.

The female is similar but has a smaller basal knob.

They are primarily silent but will hiss if alarmed and especially when protecting their nest.

Mute Swans mate for life and it is currently nesting season...

I think this is a female sitting on the nest.

The swans share incubation duties,

 but the female, (pen) does the majority of the sitting and the male, (cob) guards the nest from predators. 

This nest is on an island, in the center of a lake, near our home, 

Swans are believed to return to the same nesting site and often the same nesting mound,

year after year.

The male swam close by, chasing off ducks and geese that attempted to get close to the nest.

Mute swans are very intelligent and can remember and recognize human faces from one year to the next.

If these are the same swans, which I believe they are, 

they remembered me from past years and did not feel threatened.

I will return frequently, so they can show me their babies!

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