Wintering Trumpeter Swans

My wife and I have been watching a group of 8 Trumpeter Swans that are spending the winter on a nearby lake. At least a dozen different groups of Trumpeters have been spotted in OK this year. Maybe the reintroduced Central Flyway birds are finally learning to migrate.

Rather than post a bunch of pics here, I've posted some on a picasa link. You can view here. http://picasaweb.google.com/okierednek/RecentlyUpdated#

The first couple of shots show a metal leg band on one of the birds. These haven't been used in a long time.

Anyone else watching any wintering Trumpeters?

Those are great pics red!!!

They are such beautiful swans. Thanks for posting this!

The Pics. took my breaths away! Fine, fine job Red! Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for bringing back some wonderful memories. When I lived in Montana I often visited a friend who lived on the lake outside Ennis. There were tons of trumpeters there and they were beautiful..........and loud!

That Canada Goose with two heads caught me out for a mo! ;-)

Resin

Those were two ill-tempered geese!

so nice to see that trumpeter swan. Always wanted to see one since I was a kid and read "The Trumpet of the Swan"

Really nice shots, red.

Nice collection of quality photo's Reddirt!! I hope I can add that (huge) bird to my list one day. Really like that first shot with the water beads, nice capture!

The stained heads are of interest to me. They indicate the birds are from lakes rich in iron. Gives some clue where they summer. Maybe MN or MI. I wouldn't think they are IA birds.

They are magnificent birds. Huge, yet elegant. Intelligent. And most surprising to me is that they can fly 60 mph or faster with a tailwind. I am amazed that a bird that hardly ever exercises it's wings can fly so fast and so far when they feel the need.

Saw another sighting in the Wichita Mtns of SW OK this week. I wouldn't be surprised to see some TX sightings in the next few years.

We were fortunate to see a couple of Tundra Swans with 3 Trumpeters on 01 Jan. near Okemah, OK. Educational to see the two side by side. The tundras are smaller, necks not quite as long and bill shape is different. A pic of them together. The far left and far right birds are tundras.

All depends on the tailwind!

A few years ago there was a record of a flock of 30 Whooper Swans migrating from Iceland to Northern Ireland, which were picked up on air traffic control radar at 8,200 metres altitude; a.t.c. diverted a pilot to investigate; to quote from the report . . . "Upper-level winds long its route suggest a departure from Iceland after dawn in a building ridge of high pressure, and a subsequent climb through a strong NNW wind flow into the edge of a northerly jetstream, with a total flight time of approximately 7 hours. At 8,200 m, the swans were in the lower stratosphere and clear of the large snow showers which existed over the sea. Over the Hebrides, the temperature at that altitude was -48°C and the wind speed northerly at 50 metres per second [180 km/hr or 111 mph]" (British Birds 72: 238).

But even more incredible is that the air pressure at that altitude is just a third of sea level pressure - that would kill a person in a few minutes.

Resin

Red, I really enjoyed seeing your photos. The swans are so beautiful. Love the close-up and the two geese with they attitude problem.

Resin, it's unbelievable how these birds could ever survive the cold and pressure. Thanks for the information.