Swans and Ducks

I've actually seen some waterfowl over the past week.  I always enjoy birdwatching, but there's not a lot about at this time of year, at least in places I've been.  So I'm glad to have some pictures of swans and ducks to share.

The swans were in the waterfowl sanctuary at Harrison Park, a small collection of birds that has been a historic component of the area for as long as I can remember.  I have mixed feelings about it, but after I got these pictures I realized that this was a Trumpeter Swan, a bird I have never seen in person before, let alone up close.  I was having a little trouble getting the pictures I wanted with the zoom on our little point-and-shoot.

The story of the Trumpeter Swan is quite amazing.  By 1933 it was thought that only about 70 wild Trumpeters existed in the wild.  But aerial surveys revealed a hidden population in Alaska that enable re-introductions to take place in eastern North America.  Through the never-ending efforts of a dedicated biologist, Harry Lumsden, we now have Trumpeter Swans migrating through Ontario again, though they are still uncommon.  They are our biggest swan, in fact the largest waterfowl in North America.  Note the pinkish-red colour under the bill that helps identify it - if you get a close enough look, like this.

The park also has a pair of Whooper Swans, the Eurasian counterpart to the Trumpeter Swan.  I've never knowingly seen this species before.  It nests in a wide swath across northern Europe and Asia, and winters in the more southern region of those continents.

It has a very distinctive yellow pattern on its bill.  Of course the park also has a few Mute Swans, which have mostly pinkish-orange bills too.  Our own most common native swan is the Tundra Swan, which migrates through Ontario by the thousands.  This site gives good comparison photos of the three North American swans for identification.

The sanctuary in Harrison Park attracts hundreds of Mallards, because people stop and feed them.  At least the park provides small handfuls of corn visitors can buy, so they are not being fed bread (which is not at all good for them)!  But this is the crowded part that does not appeal to me, even if they are fun to watch.

Meanwhile, 'back here at the ranch', we stopped by Meaford harbour to see what the bay looked like the other day.  I'm getting used to the fact that the mood of the bay changes every day!  On this day ice had blown in from the north, leaving wide swaths of white between bands of water.  I read that the Great Lakes are freezing faster this year than has been the case for at least two decades.

I certainly didn't spot them, but Mrs. F.G. with her sharp eyes did - four pair of Common Mergansers, the males largely white on the left, and the females, with their rufous-brown heads, on the right.

Then I realized there were more ducks in the background.

These are mostly Buffleheads, which have a larger distinctly shaped white patch on their head, though the two right-hand whiter birds are more Common Mergansers.  Seeing a few birds like this makes me think of spring!  And makes me think I need to remember to take my binoculars with me!

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