Drum roll please… no really, let’s hear it … drum roll…. Welcome to the first bird post of 2015 .. explosions, streamer, ticker tapes, applause and drunken anarchy in the streets. Or, maybe not. Well, at least not the anarchy part since this isn’t a new bird to the blog. We featured the Mute Swan previously in a two parter back in February ’14 (link here and here).
The previous posts were from the Banner Marsh in Banner IL. This shoot is also from Banner and for all I know are the exact same Swans. They don’t wear clothes so it is really hard to tell them apart. When I have to go through the painful process of talking about my hobbies and interests (a common activity as a result of numerous reorgs at work as of late) I always mention that my favorite part of photography is when I can get wildlife behavior in the tin. Stoic shots are nice to have in the portfolio, but I personally prefer shots that have some form of emotion or expression that tells a little bit more. Today’s featured shots do just that. We were out at Banner on a rather cool day when things in the water began to heat up. The Swan above came strolling by and spotted something of interest. Up went the charm wings as it moved in for a closer look.
Hit the jump to see what all the excitement was on the marsh
Ohhhh, there’s the reason for the sudden flamboyant display – another Mute was trolling those same waters – no eHarmony for these birds, nope, they have to work the bars like the olden days.
“Hey, my friend said there was a Broad Breasted White on the pond .. and he wasn’t talking about a Turkey. Did you fly in from Sweden because you’re the sweetish thing I’ve seen on the pond in a long time”
That got her attention – looks like charm school has paid off for this stud.
Ahhhhh, how cute. From greet to snuggle in 60 seconds. Who needs eHarmony with smooth pickup lines like that!
There are two signature water fowl shots that continue to eluded me. One is the classic offspring gliding through the water on their mother’s back. The other is the classic heart pose made from two Swans. Ask Linda, every time I have the opportunity to film Swans I’m constantly trying to get the right angle to cross the latter off my list. I came sooo close during this shoot. Although it isn’t the traditional straight on shot, I thought this one was still pretty cute. My quest is still on.
Oh, back to the story… These two ended up flirting with each for about 30 minutes. Little nudges there, sly glances when the other wasn’t looking, school girl giggles and exchanges of phone numbers. I’m not saying Mute Swan chicks are easy or anything like that but …..damn, those Mute Swan chicks don’t waste a lot of time. From a casual drive by on the pond to this… (kiddies, cover your eyes)
“By the look in her she was giving what she got”
I’ll spare you the rest of the marsh porn but afterwards they both enjoyed a cigarette. I probably should have gone with this group of pictures before the first set of Mute Swans which had the cygnets in them (link here) hehehe. I had to chuckle to myself when I saw the Swan swimming around afterwards…
Looks like this one enjoyed that special moment all the way down to its toes! (it swam like this the rest of the time we were there)
She took off a silver locket she said remember me by this
She put her palmate in my feathers I got a keepsake and a kiss
And in the roar of the dust and diesel I stood and watched her swim away
I could have caught up with her easy enough but something must have made me stay
And the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
And I’m just high on the marsh
Come on and take a low swim with me girl
On the waves of love
Have a good one everyone!
