Nov. 17, 2019 - Trumpeter Swans

We occasionally have a pair of Trumpeter Swans that visit the small northern Minnesota lake where we have our log home. Usually they stay for a couple of hours feeding on the plants in the lake and then they leave. A couple of weeks ago, we had two pairs of swans on the lake at the same time, and each pair had a juvenile with them. The juvenile is smaller than the adults and has gray feathers.

SwanTrumpeterfamilyDunningLakeItascaCounty20191019

One family of swans was at our end of the lake and the other family was at the other end of the lake. Suddenly, the pair at our end lifted off the water and began flying toward the other family.

SwanTrumpeteradultsflightDunningLakeItascaCounty20191019

They were apparently upset about something because they landed near the other swans and a brief tussle broke out. It didn’t last very long and soon both pairs started swimming away from each other. Trumpeter Swans are the largest waterfowl in North America. They stand 5 feet tall, weigh over 25 pounds, and have a wingspan approaching 7 feet long. If they decided to seriously go after each other, they could inflict some major damage.

SwanTrumpeteradultsfightingDunningLakeItascaCounty20191019

Here’s the juvenile in flight. This is a good look at the gray feathers on its body and wings.

SwanTrumpeterjuvenileflightDunningLakeItascaCounty20191019

This is a funny photo. Two of the adult swans were positioned in such a way that they looked like a two-headed swan.

SwanTrumpeterfamilyDunningLakeItascaCounty20191019