"ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES @ YYC"

Swans (Trumpeter & Tundra) - Mature & Immature - 7 Photos

The swan migration south must now be in its final stages. It will be a matter of time to see how many swans actually stay in the Calgary, AB region over the Winter. I personally believe those that overwinter have a definite advantage over those that migrate further south. There are basically no predators, lots of food as the Bow River remains, for the most part, open for the winter months and the journey back up north in the Spring is much less and therefore they expend less calories. And they can get a head start over their counterparts on those nesting areas in the Spring.

So here are some arrivals & departures from Calgary. As a photographer, I really appreciate the vocalization of the swans, there is a lot of trumpeting & honking as they fly over & hopefully land and the Trumpeter Swans, in particular, perform synchronized head bobbing accompanied by strong honking prior to departure, which generally gives you some time to position yourself and the camera.

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