Trumpeter Swans

Counting Sandhill Cranes

A few shots from the Gilbert Creek on the annual Sandhill Crane count.

Birds at Crex Mewadows

Spring Birds at Gilbert Creek

I recently found a batch of photos that I forgot to process. These were taken at the Gilbert Creek Fishery and Wildlife Area this past spring. The Swans and Northern Shovelers are transient and are only around for a few weeks in the spring.

The Sandhill Cranes and the Canada Geese stick around to raise their young.

I’m not sure about the Soras. This was the first time I had seen a Sora. There appeared to be a pair of them around for a few weeks but I didn’t see them after that. The area becomes overgrown so it would be almost impossible to see them if they stayed around.

Trumpeter Swans at Crex Meadows

There seems to be a lot of Trumpeter Swans at Crex Meadows this spring.

This swan has a radio collar. I think it is a young swan that flew all the way to Indiana this past winter and then returned in the spring.

There was a thin coating of ice on the water and this swan is just about to land on the ice. It skidded for a ways before breaking through.

Hiking the Ice Age Trail Hemlock Creek Segment

It was a beautiful late winter day so my wife and I drove up to Murphy Flowage to hike the three mile loop trail that follows Hemlock Creek.

More photos from the Ice Age Trail can be found on my website.

Our first mistake was not to wear our ice cleats. We had them in the car but when we looked at the trail it appeared to be packed snow. Only after we were on the trail for a while did we start encountering icy segments. It would have been a much easier hike with ice cleats. The backwaters were covered with a think coat of ice that was quickly melting.

The melting snow had exposed a large rock along the trail.

There were plenty of beaver signs along the trail but we did not see any beaver. There is a bench at this location that would be a great place to sit early in the morning and late in the day to watch for beaver.

There were lots of leaves melting into the snow.

The lichen on the trees really stood out on the trees.

We were reaching the end of our hike and discussed not seeing any wildlife. Just then my wife saw a couple of Trumpeter swans but they were too far away to photograph. I walked down to the edge of the creek to get a better shot. When I reached the edge of the creek I noticed that some Canada Geese had flown in down creek. As I was watching them I noticed something swimming in the creek. As I watched it started runing toward me. It swam back and forth across the creek several times but kept comming my way. It turned out to be a River Otter and it came within twenty five feet of me before diving under the ice. In the meantime the two Trumpeter Swans swam toward me to see what was going on. I was able to get a close shot of them.

Trumpeter Swans Takeoff Sequence

I capture this series of photos of Trumpeter Swans taking off at their Hudson, Wisconsin wintering grounds.

 

Trumpeter Swans Sleeping

Trumpeter Swans sleeping at their winter gathering grounds.

 

Trumpeter Swan Kerfuffle

While watching a group of Trumpeter Swans a couple of swans landed near them. A major kerfuffle broke out between the two groups of swans.

 

Trumpeter Swans on the Saint Croix

During the winter Trumpeter Swans gather on a small patch of open water on the Saint Croix River in Hudson, Wisconsin. Part of my winter entertainment package is to drive over and watch them.