Swans on Georgian Bay

I've seen very few birds the past two months.  It seems just too cold, and even the small bits of open water I find don't attract even a few ducks.  But as the season passes, I'm seeing more.  In Thornbury the other day I had a few minutes to drive down to the harbour, and there were a few swans where the open water of the river disappears under the ice of the bay.

I checked out the pedestrian bridge first to see if there was any open water.  My wildlife photography is terrible, but there they are, a few dark dots in the distance!

A closer shot shows that a few of the dark dots actually look white.

So I drove down to the mouth of the river, and was able to get a closer look at what was there.

Yes, a few of these are swans, a pleasant surprise as I didn't know swans would winter over here when the temperature has been so cold.  Just as surprising, the ice on Georgian Bay extends to the horizon!  Note that I didn't say 'solid' ice; this is an ice pack that will float in and out from the shore, depending on the wind.

From this angle I count 8 or 10 swans, and a couple of ducks and a few gulls.  Unfortunately I didn't have either binoculars or much time, so I'm not sure about the species.

But I did get a good look at two swans swimming closer, and by their orange bills decided that they are likely Mute Swans, common resident birds here in southern Ontario.

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