The Young Swans Learning To Fly

 

 

Looking back to  June and Look at them now

This little cygnet was learning to survive,

and now it is learning to fly.

 

 

 

 

Clear the runway; Here I come.

 

 

 

 

Hey, I’m paddling on water. Honk…Honk!

 

 

 

 

These wings sure come in handy.

 

 

 

 

Need a little more speed.

 

 

 

 

Can you believe this. We are about to fly!

 

 

 

 

Hey! Wait for me.

 

 

 

 

Lift off….We did it!!! We are flying.

 

 

 

 

And the crowd cheers

 

 

 

 

Okay, Now for the landing. Mission Accomplished.

 

 

 

 

From Baby Cygnets to Beautiful Young Swans

Here are the swans and cygnets from May to The end of September 2012. I hope you found this Series interesting. I know I sure enjoyed following this swan family, I like to call, “The Class Of 2012. They all past accept for one little cygnet that didn’t make it. I think it is pretty amazing that 8 out of the 9 cygnets lived to become these Beautiful young swans who will one day have a family of their own.

 

All photos and written script by Dianne © dsphotocats

 

Hope to find you all well, and enjoying the Seasons of Life.

God Bless one and all.

Dianne :)

Flight 01 in Sequence

 

Mr. Cob starting down the runway

 

 

 

 

Clear The Runway

 

 

 

 

Here He Comes

 

 

 

 

Treading The Water

 

 

 

 

Gaining Speed

 

 

 

 

This Looks Like Hard Work

 

 

 

 

 Paddling And Spreading Those Wings

 

 

 

 

Up Goes The Landing Gear

 

 

 

 

Down Goes The Landing Gear As He Pushes Forward

 

 

 

 

Up And Away He Goes

 

 

 

 

He Puts On The Brakes, Now For The Landing

This was a short distance flight to show the young ones how to do it.

Stay Tuned

In the next episode I will show one or two of the young ones learning to fly.

I took quite a few pictures and the lighting was a challenge. This is what I took… out of my camera other than a bit of cropping and resizing. 

Some of the young ones started to fly right after big daddy, but it all happened so fast, and I captured what I could, hand holding  my 170-500 lens which weighs roughly 4.5lbs not including the camera. I didn’t have time to set my IS on Panning.

These may not be wall hangers, but I had fun capturing these swans taking off into a short distance flight.

I was so happy and thrilled to witness this. I couldn’t believe my eyes when the 10 swans swam out to where there were a large number of geese and ducks and corralled them out of their way (Flying Path), and got ready to fly. I took some pictures and at times just watched them in “Awe”. of what I saw. This family of swans and cygnets have come along way. The cygnets have transformed into Beautiful Swans. Soon it will be time to say goodbye unless they leave on announced. I think it is called the “Call Of The Wild”. South they will head. How far I do not know.

This is the second family of swans in the last few years that I have had the pleasure of following for a season. I hope and pray I will get yet another chance to witness another family of swans next Spring and Summer. But will enjoy these while I can.

Until next time :)

Dianne © dsphotocats

All Is Calm … Swans On The Bay

 

 

 

A Calm and Peaceful Day  Along The Shore Of The Bay

 

 

 

Mr. Cobb is on guard watching over his family. He is not showing off today. All is calm, and all is bright.

It is a Beautiful Day filled with warmth and light.

I love watching these swans and photographing them when I can, as you all know by now.

It is often very challenging to capture what I see due to the bright harsh sunlight as it shines off the water of the Bay.  But it is worth the effort. I forget about the world around me for a time, and all the cares of life. All is calm, and all is bright. It brings a peaceful moment filled with Joy.  I am in “Awe” of what I see as I witness the nature that surrounds me, and the Creator of it all.

I don’t get to travel very often and so I do appreciate the Beauty that surrounds me, even if it is common to some.

Ah! But I do get to travel  through the eyes of each one of you, and other wonderful bloggers, and photographers around the world. We all have something to share, and what is common to one, is new and exciting to another. At least that is how I see it. Thank you for all each one of you share. And now on to the next photo. I never know what I am going to write when I start my update. It truly is “Random Thoughts and Photographs”, and comes from my heart. Oh ya, I guess I better stop jip japping and get on with it. Ha!

 

 

 

 

A Very Touching Sight To See

As mother swan tends to her swanlings.

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Penn and her 9 Swanlings (Cygnets)

Just before coming on shore for a time of preening, and a time of rest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Off they go on yet another adventure and to get a bite to eat. I think they were out to have some Bay Vegetable Soup. :)

 

That is it for now. These photos were taken on May 29th.  I may never get caught up but what’s a gal to do.

Just take it as it comes and share when I can.

  There is a time for everything and life goes on. I hope life is good to you, and full of wonder at the things you see around you.

And I pray for those around the world who due to their political environment and circumstances among other things, do not see the Beauty. There is Hope in Jesus. God help us all to love one another, and some how  make a difference in this world we live in.

To all my blogger friends and those who drop by, may you have a good day filled with Peace, Hope and Love.

Sincerely, with Love and Care

Dianne :)

6 Little Cygnets Riding Piggyback

 

 

8TH Day On The Water (May 26/2010)

 

This is a dream shot I never thought I would have the pleasure of capturing. This was one of those times when I had just got off work , went home and grabbed my camera and packed dinner that my hubby had so lovingly made for me.

It was a little past 6 o’clock in the evening. The swan family had just come back from a long afternoon on the Bay and the cygnets got a free ride home, back to the nest. They had just come back from about 3 kilometres away. This was the cygnets 8th day on the water and if you notice, sadly there are only 6 out of 8. The cygnets have many predators. Turtles is one of the main concerns as they pull the young ones under the water and they end up drowning. If you see a swan stirring up mud  and stomping its feet in the water, grunting , growling and hissing you know there is something in the water that is a threat to their young. If they can the parents will kill its prey. I saw and heard this on occasion. It is not a pretty sight. As loving and affectionate as these swans can be to their young, they can also be vicious and deadly to anything that threatens them.

 

Dinner Time Under The Tree Canopy (May 26/2010)

This picture was taken just to the right of where I was standing. Their nest is just across from where they were having their dinner.

 

I have grown to love these swans and they seem to like me. Tonight after work I went to check on them and when I finally found them, I called out to them in a low soft voice and to my surprise they came swimming up to me. I sat quietly on a rock and they came within 4 feet of me. It was as if they were saying hello and where have you been. This is the first I have seen them since last Saturday. They proudly showed me their 4 young ones. Yes, you heard me correctly. There are now only 4 cygnets left. They stayed close by for quite some time and then suddenly the cob grunted, growled and hissed at something it saw in the water. The Pen and the cygnets left immediately and the Cob followed them to safety from what ever they saw in the water.

I did have my little camera with me and took a couple of short videos that I will post at some point. But for now I will end this update with one more picture that was taken after they had come back close to the nest. They had dinner under this tree and then headed back to the nest for the night.

I noticed that now they wonder farther away, and only go back to the nest to rest a few times during the day and at night around 9 P.M. I know that one of these days I will head down and they might be gone or who knows, maybe they will stay at least till fall.

 

Well I hope you enjoyed this update.  I would like to dedicate this blog to all my blogger friends. You all have a special place in my heart.

God be with you all.

Hugs!!!  Dianne ( dsphotocats )

Nesting Update #2

 

Male Canada Goose (Father to be)

 

Time For A Drink In Between Activities

 

Female Canada Goose (Nesting)

 

I discovered that this pair of Canada Geese have a nest on the same rock island as the pair of Mute Swans.

This makes for a very interesting situation. Both the Geese and the Swans are very territorial and protective of their families.

The Swans nest is in the middle of the rock island and the goose nest is on the left side near the edge of the island.

 

 

Here are the Mute Swans

 

 

Here are the expectant fathers too be, hanging out so to speak. This is a daily occurrence. I try to go down every second night or so after work to check up on these guys and see what’s new. I am really hoping to see some little baby geese and swans in the near future and hope they all survive.

 

 

 

It appears they like to jog on water. The responsibilities of fatherhood can be very stressful at times.

Maybe this helps them burn off some of that stress. :)

Boys will be boys. Ha!

 

 

I couldn’t believe my eyes, what I was seeing. Wow! I was in '”Awe”. I have never seen anything like this before and I was in the right place at the right time with my 170-500 lens.  The swan is chasing the goose out of his territory, and is very protective of his family. So is the Canada Goose but he is no match for this big bird. I wouldn’t want to tangle with either of them. My advice is to stay away from their nests. I was not a threat to them, nor they to me, as I stood on shore witnessing this wonderful Nature Scene.

 

 

I cropped this photo to make it a little bigger.

 

 

No one was hurt in this encounter. This is not the first nor the last encounter these two will have. I took these photos yesterday , and I took more today which I will add in my next update. This picture is near the end of the chase.

 

 

 

The Stare Down

 

I took this photo at the end of the chase and these two beautiful birds are about 30ft away from where I was standing on shore. They are use to people because some people feed them. I don’t. They will not bother you if you respect them and their territory. Nature is to be respected, at least it should be.

I called this last photo, “ The Stare Down”, because that is exactly what they are doing.  After the chase they both decided to have a rest and just ignored each other. It sort of reminded me of a Looney Tunes Cartoon. I did laugh many times as I watched these two.

It usually takes Canada Geese about 28 days before they hatch their eggs and they can have between 3 –8 baby chicks.

It usually takes the swans about 35 days and they too can have from 4-8 young ones. I do hope they will all get along when they do have their young one. I will do my best to keep you updated .

I hope you have enjoyed these photos as much as I have enjoyed taking them.

God Bless each and every one of you and have a wonderful weekend . May is a wonderful time of the year so enjoy.

Hugs and Smiles

Dianne ( dsphotocats) :)

Nesting Time Is Here :)#1

 

Nesting Morning Dove

 

 

About a week ago I went for a long walk along the waterfront trail. I spotted a Red Winged Black Bird and decided to follow it into some bushes. It was then I came across something very special. I noticed this Beautiful Morning Dove sitting on her nest. I was very quiet and took a couple of pics , talked to her very softly , and left. I also said a prayer that no one would discover her and that she would remain safe.

A week later, which was yesterday afternoon , I went back to check on her and took this photo. Her mate had just left, so I know she is being taken care of and he must also be feeding her. I have never come across a nesting bird like this before. I have seen nests from a far distance but never so close as this.

I am hoping to be able to get back and check on her sometime this week after work. I am hoping to get a chance to see her chicks . I am assuming she is sitting on a few eggs and would love to see them. I will not put her in any danger and am extremely cautious so no one sees me near her nest. I wouldn’t want kids to discover her as she is only about 4 ft. off the ground. I will take a picture only if it is safe to do so. What a Blessing this has been for me to see .

 

 

Swan Nesting On A Little Rock Island Just Off The Bay Shore

 

There has also been a pair of swans nesting out on this little rock island and you can see it from the waterfront path. I took this photo a week ago while on my walk. I was standing on the edge of the shore when I took this picture at 28mm. I had a 28-300 lens on my camera. The water is really low this spring as you can see. Where I was standing usually has water. Again I just hope and pray no one disturbs the nest and boats stay clear. The male swan keeps a close eye and patrols the area and chases all the other birds out of their territory. I wouldn’t want to tangle with him. I saw him flying just above the service of the water chasing something out of his path a few weeks ago, but I didn’t have my camera with me. It was fun and amazing to watch him fly so low. I still have that image in my memory. :)

 

 

This photo was taken at 300mm. I was using a 28-300mm lens. I took this photo yesterday. I had biked down to the Bay with a back pact with my camera on my back.

 

 

I cropped the above photo so you could get a better look at this Beautiful Nesting Swan. I am really hoping to get a chance to get photos of the baby swans when they are born. I just hope that people don’t chase them away with their boats as their is a boat launch not very far away.

Well that is about it for now. I am working everyday, with no morning free this week, so I am hoping to have enough gas in my tank so to speak to get down there in the evening to check on my nesting birds. I am really excited to see some baby swans and doves real soon. If and when I do , you will be the first to know.

Hope you all have a great week whatever you do or don’t do.

Thinking of you and many of you are in my prayers.

Hugs and Smiles

Dianne :)