Drifting on Still Water~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life


“But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful,” WB Yeats

Swans swim,

in synchronized,


silhouettes.


Mama delicately rolls her precious eggs,


to keep them evenly warm,

and plucks her feathers to tuck them in.

Black swan,

slides in singular grace,


while Narcissus is bewitched by his own reflection.
Cheers to you from European swans in springtime~

225 thoughts on “Drifting on Still Water~”

  5. I liked all the pictures, especially the way the swans were connected by reflection in photograph four. Then, there is the reverse “albino” swan. I may be wrong about this, but I don’t think you took these pictures at the “holler.” When these birds fly by, you can hear their power earful wings beat the air as they move their large bodies through the air.

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    1. I have only rarely heard that because as you note, swans are not native at The Holler. I only get to see them when I travel. I will love to have them flying overhead!

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  6. Beautiful photos :-). I found the black swan particularly interesting, since I’ve never seen one. And I’m very impressed by the great view you got of the swan eggs. I didn’t think swans laid that many.

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    1. She was so proud of her eggs. I visited her on three separate days and each time she stood up and showed me her eggs. It was like she knew I came to call to meet them! I was so proud of her because she was such a good mother. She repeatedly plucked her feathers to wrap around her eggs, and rolled them diligently.

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  7. The red, white and blue is great! The swans in the pond nearby my house have chicks now. Little grey-isch animals floating behind their parents. It will take some time for them to be a graceful as the elder. I think birds are about the only creatures to actually improve when they get older. Oh wait – we should not forget the butterfly! πŸ™‚

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    1. Laughing, and think of ducklings and goslings. I have some photos of Egyptian Geese and goslings, oh my God they are adorable. I envy you having cygnets nearby. I would be there everyday, making an uninvited guest of myself! πŸ˜‰

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  10. Those are such incredible photos. I’m going to have to find new words to describe the wonder of your photos. Those of the swan and her eggs is just amazing!! I love them all.

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    1. I was really taken by the mama with her eggs. I showed up three days in a row (the entire time I was in Heidelberg) and every time I visited she stood up to show me her eggs and took such diligent care of them I was very moved by her.

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  12. Such stunning images, Cindy. Loved the capture of the water droplets coming from the swans’ beaks in the first photo. Excellent timing! Mama and eggs were so beautiful to see. <3

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    1. Thank you for noticing the water drops. I liked them in unison along with the swans. The mama swan moved me immensely. It was quite cold. Snowed the first day and she was diligent in the care of her eggs, keeping them warm, and showing them to me. I loved her. <3

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  14. Pingback: From blogger: Cindy Knoke…every one of her posts is amazing | Rethinking Life

  17. Lovely images. Lucky you to capture a swan and her eggs.

    I don’t remember ever seeing birds eggs at all, although I have seen chicks or cygnets newly hatched.

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    1. Laughing! They do so if they have to, but their feet are giant paddles compared to their body, so they are like kayaks on a gentle lake, one paddle sends them gliding!

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  26. Beautiful pictures. πŸ™‚ We had two black swans here in Kristianstad, Sweden in the 80Β΄s. and i have read that there is some wild population in south of Europe who have escaped from zoos and amusement parks.

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    1. They are amazing creatures aren’t they! How thrilling to have them close to you. I wish we had swans nearby, I would love to photograph the hatching and the cygnets.

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    1. I so wished that too. I would be there everyday, and Mama would be showing them off. She was awesome! I have a lot more photos of her rolling her eggs. She was so devoted and gentle. It was very impressive.

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  37. What a treat to spend time with these lovely swans! Gorgeous mother swan. The second to the last image (from the bottom) I can visualize as a great impressionistic Monet-like painting. My father has painted with palette knives and his water scenes would come out looking like that.

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      1. Oh that I can do! I realized recently that records of my own paintings are on those 6″ hard discs and I don’t know how transfer them onto today’s technology myself. However, my dad’s paintings are everywhere in the house, so I’ll take pictures and upload them for you to see!

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  49. Gorgeous photos, Cindy. We see swans so frequently that it is easy to forget how serene and beautiful they are – thank you for this reminder πŸ™‚

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    1. That reminds me of being in Africa and voicing my thrill at seeing crocodiles. The woman standing next to me said, “Well, they are very common.”
      Not where I come from! Laughing……one person’s common is another’s exotic, which is as it should be, I imagine.

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  50. Such graceful, beautiful birds. They remind me of one of my favorite childhood books, The Ugly Duckling, by Hans Christian Anderson, one that I read often to my little granddaughter.

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          1. Oh I don’t know, probably everywhere πŸ™‚
            Actually in Port Douglas (way north in QLD) thousands of Lorikeets roost in the trees in the middle of the main street every night. Anywhere away from the cities there’ll be flocks of different parrots, and of course huge flocks of cockatoos, galahs, rosellas, etc live in Canberra.

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  58. Your brilliant photography highlights the grace and beauty of these exquisite creatures, Cindy. Imagine their surprise and joy upon seeing your lovely photos for the first time when they return to our Creator πŸ™‚ πŸ’•

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  59. The curve of their neck is so gracious. When the two look at the opposite way and close (your second picture), the curving necks and heads look so beautiful.

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    1. It is a beautiful and striking color combination, I agree with you, and I can see why it is your favorite. Thank you for your thoughtful friendship & cheers to you. <3

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  63. You never cease to amaze me with the beautiful photos that you capture, Cindy. The details are stunning and you manage to get such character into them as well. πŸ™‚

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  72. Okay, I couldn’t remember whether I’d left a comment. Scrolling through your comments is a treasure chest that’s filled with golden coins. I gave up looking for the one with my head on it.
    OMG! What grace and beauty you’ve captured. The forms, the eggs…. oh I adore the eggs!
    If I was as gorgeous as Narcissus, I’d be looking at my reflection as well. Right now, I’m into the vaseline on the lens! πŸ˜€ πŸ˜€

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    1. Laughing. So funny. I relate fully to he vaseline! Narcissus reminds of people who are obsessed with selfies and post photo after photo of themselves on facebook. It seems almost like they want to convince themselves they really exist. Maybe that was what Narcissus was doing, trying to prove his existence. I should have given him the photo. He could post it on his swan facebook page!

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  74. Wild fowl (only slightly miffed really)
    Seeks similar for walks in the park, days on the river and generally swanning about.
    Must have gosh and ch. No chickens.
    Replies as message in a bottle.
    πŸ˜€

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          1. very true! and word press is a fantastic platform that connects people in from a distance with good understanding of communications. I am enjoying every steps of the way with word press.

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  91. I like the way they seem to care about each other. I enjoy when you start a story and create interesting ways to picture the stork families “together time.” πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

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