graceful ballerinas,
plie’ in black stockings.
Mating for life,
there were only 70 left!
With care and concern,
there now are almost 40,000.
Cheers to you from Yellowstone’s Wild Trumpeters~
Note: Trumpeter Swans are the largest swan in the world with wingspans reaching over 3 meters. In 1933, because of extensive hunting, there were only 70 left. They were on the brink of extinction. A breeding population was discovered in Copper River Alaska that was used to reintroduce swans to their native environments. Trumpeters require pristine habitats, today they are threatened by habitat degradation. These swans were photographed in their year round home in Yellowstone National Park. The water in The Yellowstone River has thermally heated areas that allow the swans to survive the harsh Wyoming winters.
Beautiful series of pictures !
I love it very much !!!
Awwww, it makes me so happy that you do! <3
Great news on these graceful birds… Lovely post and pix! š
Thank you Bette, aren’t they beautiful creatures!
They’re gorgeous.
Can you imagine how close we got to losing them entirely!
Thank goodness we did not.
Absolutely beautiful!
I thank you on behalf of the most beauteous swans!! š
Your welcome they areā awsome!
<3
Beautiful captures of these graceful creatures. I am glad to hear their population returns. I can’t believe why people hunted them… Oh, the sky in the last picture is so lovely.
Awwww, thank you my dear friend. Always a joy to hear from you!
A great post, Cindy.
Merci beaucoup!
Gorgeous creatures! Thank you for the info and thank goodness they are thriving!!
They are amazing to see when they are completely wild!
So gorgeous – but very aggressive personalities. I like that they mate for life. Lovely photos.
Can you imagine they live year round with grizzlies, black bears, mountain lions. They evolved to be tough!
That copper river is killer!
It is simply amazing country! We’ve been to Alaska many times, but it is never enough.
We love Alaska too! We’d like to go back as well.
Wrangall Elias is pretty incredible, just the sheer mass of it!
From 70 to 40,000–wow, that’s some impressive conservation efforts. Gorgeous creatures.
Can you imagine 70! We are such a destructive species, but then, at the same time, we can turn around a colassal mistake like this. Puzzling~
What a great success story. So glad they were saved before it was too late. 9-foot wingspans – they must be huge birds! Wouldn’t want one coming after me!
No, it is best to give all swans, especially wild ones some space!
Such eloquent creatures…just shows you what can be done to bring back almost extinct species.
When there is will, there is usually a way!
Swans are so very beautiful!
They are just elegant aren’t they! I can see why all this mythology arose around them.
S a kid in the dark ages, OK, the 1970s, I used to see Trumpeters all of the time in a small lake visited every summer. Now, on the east coast, I only see Mute Swans – lovely and graceful, but an invasive species that is driving the Trumpeters out of some locations in the upper Great Lakes region.
Yeah, the mutes were introduced to North America to be decorative in ponds and fountains, but they escaped and now are infringing on Trumpeter territory. Trumpeters won’t breed where it is crowded. I hear it is a significant problem in certain areas. How incredibly cool that you saw them regularly in the 70’s! I saw them three times on this trip, each time in Yellowstone. The only other time I have seen them in my life before this was in The Oxbow in Grand Tetons when my kids were young in the early 90’s. It was a thrill to see them then, and a thrill now. Lucky you growing up with them, but so sad they are being ousted from their native regions.
The authentic Swan Lake. Beautiful and i love the idea that they mate for life. How sweet. š
They do have a rare divorce but the instances are rare and put humans to shame!
Beautiful birds. That is so interesting that the thermal pools sustain the swans in the winter. Yellowstone is a phenomenal place. And how wonderful that we brought them back from nearly driving them into extinction. š
It is always good to hear of humans doing good things which of course so many do. The boy scouts saved the Big Horns, a Texan saved the buffalos, and good samaritans saved the Trumpeter. Let’s not think about the people who neartly annhilated them all.
Two different mindsets – those who see an animal and want to kill it, and those who see an animal and feel the kinship of life.
They are beautiful photographs! Thank you for the information on the swans. š
Thank you more for caring about them!
You are welcome. Stay safe and keep the photographs coming! Blessings and peace.
I love the photos of the swans they are wonderful. š
Aren’t they beautiful creatures! Cheers to you my dear friend~ <3
Such a lovely photo series! We were lucky to spot some of them in Yellowstone this fall. They were basking in the sun in Yellowstone River in Hayden Valley:)
Yep, that is where we saw them! Gorgeous country, amazing animals. I was following in your footsteps!
Cindy, I remember reading about trumpeter swans, then there was a movie on Hallmark about scientists who have tried following them and putting bracelets on their feet to track these amazing birds. Now, thanks to this post, I know the “rest of the story!” š
I will look closely at the pics again, but I think some of these swans were banded…..How interesting Robin. Thanks for telling me.
Beautiful, Cindy. Thank goodness they brought them back from the brink of extinction. What another waste that would have been. š
Yes, thank goodness it is another happier story like the buffalo and the Big Horns. Thanks to caring people, we at least have SOME left!
Fantastic, Cindy! 5-star post!
Awwww, mil grazi!
Meritato, dear Cindy! š
<3
I like a story with a happy ending!!
God knows we need them! <3
Uplifting and beautiful! Thanks Cindy š
Awwww, so pleased! Thank you~
Great photos. We have whistlers where I live in Idaho.
Where exactly are you in Idaho Carol? It must be awesome to live among the Whistlers!
This is Craig. I live in the Boise area.
Beautiful~ I am glad they are back!
We come so close to only seeing them stuffed in museums!
How beautifully you have captured the swans I always look forward to your blog š Love your pictures š
Your comment makes blogging so rewarding. Thank you!
I hope they make it and their numbers stay strong. Truly beautiful pictures.
I hope so too. 40,000 is still a relatively small number.
Magnificent photos, Cindy. I was in Yellowstone last year but had not heard of the Trumpeter Swans. Hope they continue to thrive.
The Wrangle St. Elias Mountains are spectacular, and about as wild as wild gets. No wonder a few Trumpeters were able to hide out there and come back to survive. Great photos, Cindi. āCurt
The Wrangalls are wild and wonderful aren’t they! We flew all over by bush plane, stopping, and staying, and probably saw less than 2%. Thank goodness is right the Wrangalls are there to provide escape from the damage of humans.
Thank goodness we managed to save them! Speaking of ballets, their mating dance is among the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen. We’re so blessed to still be able to witness them! Have a fantastic time out there Cindy! ~Lynn
Can you imagine that being something you could only see in video? What a crime to think of all the animals that were driven to extinction by human actions.
Cindy, swans are such beautiful birds. Love watching them. Thank you! Hugs! Veraiconica
Hugs back to you dear Veraiconica and cheers to you too!
Reblogged this on Coalition for American Wildbirds.
Thank you for helping our wild birds Sharon & cheers my friend!
omg how beautiful! Amazing photos!
Beautiful swans! I have never seen a swan with a black bill, it gives the swan a very distinguished look. I reckon they sound like a trumpet, this the name??
Yes, and they are very big too! The largest swan in the world. We came way too close to losing them all!
You did a good job saving them. š
Just awesome! The photos are stunning and I love how you talk about their comeback!
Yes, without the bounce back this would be a very sad story indeed!
Wonderful to hear of such a come back. Just shows how much good we can do when we try. š
Exactly! I wish we would try more.
ā”o͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔ā®(ļ½”āį“āļ½”)āo͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔ ā”
ā”o͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔ā®(ļ½”āį“āļ½”)āo͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔͔ā”
This one is especially special!
Yes, for a special blogger with an amazingly delightful blog!
ā(āāæā)ā
Hi Cindy, lovely birds. I’ve only ever seen one of these in my life, on the river Ribble. It must have stopped over. Cheers Cindy, regards James š
How amazing, because they don’t live there. I wonder if someone bought one and it got away. There is another swan that looks practically identical, but is a bit smaller, and it’s name eludes me right now…..
Stunning, Cindy, thank you so much x
Thank you more for appreciating the swans!
The black bill and legs make them absolutely different and magnificent!
They look like ballerinas to me wearing white tutus. I agree, they are beautiful birds!
š
Visa versa 2 U X 2!
Amazing what beauty can be saved when we put your minds and hearts to it. Beautiful post.
Yes, where there’s a will, there’s a way. We need more conservation will!
What gorgeous animals. I am so, so tired of our record on the way we treat Nature on this plant!
Amen to this, many times over! We need to learn and change our behavior!
Such gorgeous and majestic birds. Great photos, Cindy. š
Really pleased you like them too!
What beautiful, delicate creatures! Thanks for sharing them with us, Cindy!
They are pretty special aren’t they! Thank you Debbie~
Me gusta la elegancia de los cisnes. Las fotos del paisaje son preciosas con una maravillosa puesta de sol para cerrar el post.
Muchas gracias amiga mia y tiene un dia perfectamente! <3
What graceful birds… Everyone likes them!
That’s good because it wasn’t always that way! They liked to kill them back in the day……
Goose down? Not good, well your photos draw attention to those graceful birds… Keep going!
Most beautiful creatures and I am so glad they are reviving in numbers. Lovely photos as always Cindy.
Thanks Dor and I am enjoying your river trip!
Beautiful post, Cindy. I rejoice that their are people in this world who care for Mother. Gorgeous images! <3
I do too! Thank you and welcome!
Wonderful Cindy! Thank you!!
Thank you more for appreciating them!
Stunning š
We are lucky to still have them with us!
So very lovey dear Cindy …I used swans in a sentence today …blessings of love and thank you so much for your kind visits …hugs , megxxx
Visa versa 2 u X 2! <3 <3
Beautiful and I love trumpeter swans. e love 40 minutes from the satrap Valley in the state of Washington, and there are several large natural run off ponds full of them. Wee g up right before sunrise on sum mornings and wait. As the sun rises they fly into the sky makes that unique sound. This is one of our fav things to do on warm summer mornings at sunrise.
Oh it sounds incredible! I would so love to see and hear that! <3
Hello Cindy! Oh my God the swans are gorgeous! I have lakes near my home I wish I could have these swans there. I would spend so much time admiring them. When I read there were only 70 left my heart almost stopped. I was so happy when I read that there are now 40,000. Thank you Yellowstone! Amazing pictures! <3
Yes, there are many iconic Americanv animals that would be extinct now if individual conservationists hadn’t stepped up to the plate to save them, such as buffalo, big horn sheep and trumpeter swans!
I think I can here those trumpets playing here in the midwest. š
I bet you can!!! š
Wonderful – I always learn something beautiful and amazing on your blog.
Awwww, motivates me to keep on posting! Thank you so much~
Wow! Amazing photos Cindy! ~Rita
So honored you enjoyed them!
Lucky you!
It was amazing to see them three seperate times!! WOO HOO!
What a great success story bringing them back from the brink of extinction
Sad, that it got that close, but yes, people can be remarkably kind and beneficial. You can bet that the people that hunted these animals to near extinction were not the same ones that saved the species!
It’s to be hoped we live in a more enlightened era
Wow, beautiful work, Cindy! They are gorgeous birds. How special.
Thank you! I am so glad we still have them to see.
So beautiful!
They are, thank you Sue!
Beautiful post and lovely swans Cindy š
Mil grazi & cheers Irene!
Cindy, about those 3 meters…, were those electric meters, or parking meters??? The birds and their story is wonderful. I watched this recovery effort for years and am really pleased it was so successful. Loved that waterfall, and the sunset. Sunsets out there were always to short and sudden. Just when you begin to enjoy it…, it’s gone !!! Hugs ! š
Yes, so true about the rapid sunsets. Not at all like the ocean where the sunsets develop so slowly people watch them during the cocktail hour! I also remember trumpeters being almost mythic when I was little as they were still making their comeback. I saw them once in the Tetons and three times on this trip. That is the sum total of times, and I go to the parks a lot!
They are the most amazing birds, they somehow have it all in terms of grace and scale.
I agree, plus the black beaks and stockings are so becoming! <3
veramente magnifici!
Mil grazie!
Beautiful, and inspiring, as only nature can be. Thank you Cindy!
I agree with you Maria and thank you my friend~
All your photos from Yellowstone entice me to go there. The swans are beautiful.
Alison
Oh I hope you do go! I suspect you would love it. It is quite different with all the geyser activity~
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pt0Rm0R9d0Y/T4et2QJ05cI/AAAAAAAAJxg/SHw3Z8WsRqo/s1600/swans.gif
Sooooo beautiful!!! <3 <3
Lovely post <3
Thank you & Happy Friday!
Magnificent birds! Your photos are beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you more for appreciating the swans!
Wow, temperature controls for the Swans, my husband definitely would love that!!!
Yes your own differntially heated river. Not bad! Smart swans! Happy Friday Antionette~ <3
Incredibly interesting! I’d love to see a Trumpeter Swan. I see swans regularly on the High Park Pond. (It’s a very, very, very large pond) & I see them on Lake Ontario (across the street & over the footbridge) One day Sherrie & I saw Black Swans on the lake. It was a family of Black Swan’s …mom, dad…. kiddies.
Of course I had no camera.
Wow! How incredible to live amongst such beauty, especially the entire family of black swans. You must live in the most incredible place. Might you post some clicks of your very, very large pond, (In Southern California, we would call this a great lake!) and Lake Ontario????? With or without swans. I know it’s drop dead gorgeous and I’ve never seen it, so pretty please, if you want to, of course! Hugs and Happy Friday~
Aww, Cindy! You might like this old post of mine. https://queensend.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/queens-ends-swans-2/
Oh my Gosh!!! How awesome! They are wonderful! I worried I was being pushy asking you to post photos, so I am completely jazzed you already had done so! I want to see more of the natural spaces where you live. And cygnets in the spring! See, I am being pushy. I just don’t live anywhere near wild swans…..
LOL You are not pushy… my adorable nature friend.
Let me see what I have that I can show you… and also I will take more pics. I’m thinking this winter I should shoot the lake with frozen shores. Well, I’ll just have to dress for it.
Far beyond the bridge though, the wilds of Ontario are a bit much for me!
Cottage Country is another life, a postcard from the present.
Cannot wait to see what you post! I would love to see the lake’s frozen shores and anything else that strikes you. I have never been to Ontario so it is a mysterious place to me.
Love this post, truly enchanting. Melody
Swans, especially rare wild ones, are magical creatures! So happy it resonated~
Gorgeous swans!! I’m happy the reintroduction has been successful, but we’ll need to be careful about the environment…for these swans and so many other species.
Exactly! Would you run for president please?????
š or why not you?
Don’t tell anyone but I smoked pot once in high school. I didn’t inhale though………It was strictly peer pressure.
Reblogged this on Oyia Brown.
Your kind thoughtfulness touches my heart Oyia~ <3
so majestic š
They are wonderful aren’t they!
Yes they are!!! š
Reblogged this on Random Ramblings; Myriad Musings and commented:
Beautiful photos of rare, wild trumpeter swans…beautiful birds!
Reblogged this on The Militant Negroā¢.
Thank you so much for your support of our wonderful wild swans! They need this. Cheers to you~
They are beautiful
I was blessed to see a swan this weekend. I don’t know the different species of swans, but this guy was easy to spot amid a sea of geese in the Delaware River. Lovely post.
What a thrill! I wish I had them nearby. It would be fun to keep on eye on him and see where he goes/ what he does…..
What a place to be! The light looks fabulous, Cindy š
The weather was gorgeous while we were there, but we had to track the swans, and I could never get as close as I wanted too.
You couldn’t have done a better job. These shots are terrific! š
Ahhhh, so kind. Thank you~
I can’t imagine wanting to shoot those beautiful birds.
I think this over and over again as I photograph wildlife. The more I watch wildlife, the less I understand recreational hunting.
I asked my uncle once. He said hunting wasn’t about the deer he would bring home every year, but about the silence. Long days of silence. But I didn’t understand that either. I love chatting and doing and making. I would love to photograph wildlife like you do.
I can understand the appeal of being out in nature for long stretches, the solititude, and quietness. I love all of this, but the only shooting I can relate to is with a camera. It was interesting in Antartica, where many animals don’t see people. They come right up to you and check you out. Penguins peck at your coat buttons. Whales spy hop you repeatedly to stare. I wonder what it would be like today if humans had never hunted animals for sport? Substistence needs, yes, but not sport. I wonder how much less afraid and fierce the animals might be.
I love these birds, definitely my favourite! I paint them because their form is so poetic…and you have totally captured their essence most lovely…
Thanks so much my friend, they are beautiful creatures.
You are welcome!