This photo was taken in early March from our yard overlooking a creek which is home for these tundra swans during the winter. When they start to get ready for migration there is lots of pair bonding activity. On this particular morning, the pair on the right was paddling around the creek, cooing to one another. Then the pair on the left flew in and started paddling over. It seemed as though they were two males looking for a mate. The male of the pair got very excited and began defending his mate while she looked on curiously. After the encounter, the pair on the right moved away and the intruders flew off again.
This was taken from an elevated blind to see over the marsh which is between solid land and the water. These birds are also very shy so stealth is necessary. This is full frame width with some cropped from the bottom to eliminate a log in the water.
The next morning the swans had left for the North Slope of Alaska or Canada. We'll see them again in November.
Taken with Nikon D200, Sigma 300-800 @ 800 mm, 800 ISO, 1/640 sec @ 6.3.
I like the behavior captured All body/head positions are perfect for me. Particularly like the open beaks on the males and the female just watching. I like the feather reproduction and sharpness. About all you could do is a slight contrast adjustment for the water but kind of looks good as presented since it goes well with the mood !!! Excellent !!!
Thanks for the comments everyone. I guess I was so focused on making the swans look good that I forgot about the leveling. Yes, they were tilted. I've cropped and upped the contrast just a bit.
I should point out also that the creek on which they love to stay is very muddy, or at least has a muddy bottom. The reason they stay here is that the American lotus grows in this creek over the summer and they come to eat the residue and the roots for the winter. Unfortunately, the environment just doesn't lend itself to nice blue water, but the birds are still nice.
Defending her honor
