Friday, February 13, 2015

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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17 comments:

  1. These must be cold swans! You wonder where they spend the night. Probably on the water as it would be marginally warmer.

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  2. Oh those pictures are breathtaking. Love them all. I haven't seen many birds around here either except for crows.

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  3. Looks cold! Nice to see the swans.

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  4. Nice capture of the white snow and blue water. And the swans too, of course! :)

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  5. It sure does look cold, but the worst of the winter is behind us. Love the pretty swans. :-)

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  6. Beautiful, truly beautiful, every one.

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  7. I guess they can manage! Beautiful shots!

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  8. yes does look very cold, send us the snow though. it's too dry here

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  9. Wonderful shots of the winter scenes. I love the swans against that blue and white.

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  10. Lovely winter scenes and images. The swans must be used to the icy water.. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post.. Have a happy Valentine's Day weekend!

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  11. Breath taking snow scenes adn Swan images. Happy Valentine's Day. Have a lovely weekend

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  12. beautiful blues and whites! so glad the birds can find open water!

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  13. Beautiful winter captures. I love the swans. Enjoy your weekend.

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  14. You did get some great wildlife shots even when you doubted that you would. It looks cold there just like it is here.

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  15. Yup, I was just going to say "orange bills" and you said it!

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