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.
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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! 🙂
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!! 😉
Your welcome they are 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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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!” 🙂
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. 🙂
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! 😉
<3
I like a story with a happy ending!!
God knows we need them! <3
Uplifting and beautiful! Thanks Cindy 💛
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 🙂 Love your pictures 🙂
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. –Curt
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. 🙂
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. 🙂
Exactly! I wish we would try more.
♡o͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡╮(｡❛ᴗ❛｡)╭o͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ♡
♡o͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡╮(｡❛ᴗ❛｡)╭o͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡♡
This one is especially special!
Yes, for a special blogger with an amazingly delightful blog!
☆(❁‿❁)☆
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 🙂
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!
💚
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. 🙂
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!