Seward,
Alaska
Gray
skies continue, grays of every shade. At least it hasn’t rained hard recently,
just light rain with mild temperatures in the mid 40s. Some lawns in town are
still a vibrant green. Very strange.
The
TRUMPETER SWAN family is back at the thawed wetland homestead at Mile 1 Nash
Road. I spotted them at the nest site this afternoon, all preening madly. One
of the adults took an energetic bath, black bill open wide, tossing water over
its back as it dipped continuously into the cold water. Then it spread those
gigantic white angel wings and beat them back and forth, back and forth, to throw the
water off.
The
other parent stood on the nest site with the four large cygnets, now about five
months old. All were preening, preening, preening, getting those feathers ready
for a big flight, maybe sometime soon. One after the other, they spread their
wings and beat them vigorously. Sometimes, two swans stretched simultaneously,
and only by careful alignment, avoided hitting the other. It was pretty
impressive to see them all standing so close together, long necks looping here
and there, working away.
It’s
also impressive to think of the beauty, utility, and fragility of a single swan
feather, the tiny components all hooked together like Velcro. United, they
become an armor that insulates, waterproofs, colors, and permits flight. The
cygnets have grown and molted untold numbers of feathers since they hatched in
June, and have many more to go until they attain the white plumage of their
spectacular parents.
When
I returned a few hours later, the swans were once again feeding, gathering
energy to grow more feathers, and perhaps to fuel their next flight.
I
wonder how much longer they will linger in this unusual warm November? Until
then, it’s a pleasure to just watch.
Happy
Birding!
Carol
Griswold
Seward
Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
