April 12, 2015 - Trumpeter Swans

Shawn Conrad and I were birding near Deer River, Minnesota, when we saw these adult Trumpeter Swans. They appeared to be a mated pair and were doing a courting display. They faced each other, rose up in the water, flapped their wings, and made soft cooing sounds.

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Another swan flew in and landed near the pair. Notice the dark feathers on its head and light brown feathers in its wings. Those features indicate it’s a juvenile from last year’s hatch.

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The juvenile was too close and might have been trying to break up the pair, so one of the adults gave chase.

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The other adult joined in the chase. The juvenile looks like it is running right on the surface of the water.

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This youngster was being taught a lesson.

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Soon, the intruder was far enough away so the adults gave up chasing it.

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The adults got back together. A good caption for this photo might be, “Hooray, we got rid of that pest!”

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The adults settled back down but kept watch in both directions to make sure they weren’t disturbed again.

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