Wednesday 6 November 2013

Whooper Swans.





Along with the thousands of Pink Footed Geese that overwinter with us here, in the North East of Scotland, we also have Whooper Swans.  

As I was driving along yesterday I noticed this stubble field full of Whooper Swans. I had never seen so many all together.  I pulled in, phoned the DP, and then continued as I had to be somewhere else.

And he is a far better photographer than I!

Whooper Swans have a deep honking call and, despite their size, are powerful fliers. Whooper Swans can migrate hundreds or even thousands of miles to their wintering sites in southern Europe and eastern Asia. They breed in subarctic Eurasia, further south than Bewicks in the taiga zone.
 Musical utterances by Whooper Swans at the moment of death have been suggested as the origin of the swan song legend. Wikepedia.

Hearing them flying over is magical.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Love it ... fab photos..

Vicky x

rusty duck said...

Aren't they beautiful.

busybusybeejay said...

Wow!Lucky you seeing those.

BadPenny said...

So beautiful. We are lucky enough to have many swans near by. I love watching them & yes, when they fly is magnificent & the sound magical.