Ghost Grazers

This afternoon, when it was getting almost too dark to shoot photos, I found a family of trumpeter swans feeding in corn stubble. From my vantage point I saw heads, necks, and some bodies, but not the complete swans since they were on the back side of a gradual slope grazing on waste grain in the field. As I watched the swans I hoped they would move to a spot that provided a better view, but no, the birds continued to feed in the remains of the cornfield just out of view. I nearly gave up on shooting acceptable pictures of them and was ready to move on.

Then I heard the tell-tale sound of more trumpeter swans honking. Even though it was cold, windy, and snowy I was wishing I was in our Jeep with the top off so I could scan the sky to find the approaching flock. I twisted and turned but could not find them. Suddenly the vocal family flew in from the west, did a wide circle, and landed in the same field of corn stubble but not near the swans that were already there. As the big birds approached I was able to shoot some pictures as they were against the moody sky and then as each bird dropped to the ground.

The pictures aren’t perfect, but considering how dark, windy, and cold it was I am satisfied. Watching trumpeter swans, even on a blustery day, tends to be a highlight of the day.