whooper swan

Just arrived from somewhere moments earlier an began a "whooping"

This is another photo of the whooper swans from the other week.

The adult male swan had a Mrs and 3 young of his own but left them and attacked a young, pink-billed member of another thinner looking family which consisted of 2 adults and 5 young -all the young of this family had some strange pinkish colouring to their bills,(I don't know if that normally...

My favourite time of the year as Whooper Swans have recently been arriving after long-haul flights from north-eastern Siberia. Individuals vary in shapes and sizes when they get here and this is a thin one. I think she is fortunate to have made it but she has come to a hearty place for her kind...

These whooper Swan parents proudly look upon their single youngster with admiration, and why not, at only 3 months of age it has just managed to fly in from Iceland non-stop.

http://www.tomcharles-photography.co.uk/flora&fauna.htm

We often wonder how they can fly so close together and not bump into each other. Well I dont think they come much closer to perfected close flying than this?

As a large flock of whoopers flew passed they flew towards the sun which made some interesting lighting effects

The background colour is from the late afternoon sky. Tom Charles Photography

Tom Charles Photography

Was back at Martinmere today and whilst the lighting was better there were few birds flying around in the places I Wanted them so here is another from the other day. I love how the whoopers come in in quite large flocks and hug the treeline. They make flying look so easy.

So very grey today but the increasing number of Whoopers returning helped to brighten things up a little bit.

whooper swan

Early in the year there were two Whoopers on the lake here. Their cygnets seem fully grown now and there are four or five mature swans.

Immature Whooper Swans burning up energy.

One of the last Whooper families left at Loch Leven -soon to face the long flight home to Iceland.