Swan Pictures
76Image of Mute Swan by wildlife photographer AnnMackieMiller
Swans on Bright Water
One of the many things about photography swans and other wildfowl (waterfowl) is the delightful part the water plays in the pictures. I love to see how it changes with light, the time of day and what is around it in reflections. Many of my pictures therefore I collect into a series called Birds on Bright Water to emphasis the importance of the water in them. These swan pictures here represent part of the collection of Swans on Bright Water. In many of the pictures, the water almost looks like quick-silver. In the final photo in this section the lovely brown sheen to the water is produced by the reflection of old mill buildings which are built in warm Yorkshire stone.
The top pictures are of a female mute swan and the last is a young male. You can tell by the difference in the black knob at the top of the beak - in the male it is much more pronounced.
PLEASE DO NOT PIN THIS PAGE
Thanks to everyone for their interest and kind comments. Can I ask you NOT to pin this page or any of the photographs please. All images are copyrighted to me and there are serious implications regarding copyright and Pinterest - if you read their terms and conditions they say they are permitted to sell images that appear there - I need to hold onto my copyright.
many thanks for your understanding.
Image of an adult mute swan
About the pictures of a young mute swan below
The pictures in this section are of a young mute swan. I estimate it's age as two years old. As you can see it still has some coloured feathering on the neck and head and on the wing edges. It will become pure white in another year but it will not reach full sexual maturity until it is about ten. Mute swans live long lives, one old chap I photographed up to March this year was 19 years old. Old Grumps ruled this part of the canal and I have told his story elsewhere.
Images of a young mute swan
Image of a young mute swan
About the juvenile swan pictures below
The swan pictures in this section are of juvenile mute swans. There were three of them and when I photographed them they were new arrivals on the canal. They are one year old, you can tell by the amount of coloured featuring. When I saw them first they were behaving in a rather odd way. They seemed to be trying to stay close to some adult Embden geese who were nesting along the canal. Of course they were being chased off from every nest they visited. Then they came down to Greenhill where we have a large population of wildfowl and seemed interested in the company. They also seemed to want to join in with the giddy geese doing canoe rolls but they were way too heavy to do that and the closest one of them could come to following the run and roll of the geese, was as you see it in the photo below, the swan runs across the top of the water, he didn't take off.
I found out later these three juveniles had been released into the wild by a local lady. She has a pond with a pair of breeding mute swans, and these three were from last year's brood. The adults had produced another brood this year and the adults kept attacking the juveniles, so the owner thought they would do better in the wild. This would explain their behaviour, it must have been a bit of a shock after being in a protected environment. However, I see them from time to time and they seem to be doing fine.
Images of juvenile mute swans
Information on mute swans
- Order - Anseriformes
- Family - Anatidae
- Species - Cygnus olor
- Common name - Mute Swan
- Not really mute - they have a range of noises from hissing to a sort of coughing snort and what is often described as a strangled trumpeting.
- They mate for life but will take a new mate if their old one dies. Old Grumps was on his second mate when I first met him.
- They eat vegetation and algae and will upend in deep water and use those long necks to advantage foraging for food on the bed of rivers and canals.
- They can become quite tame, coming to be feed and even taking food from the hand. However, they are generally quite aggressive and protective during the breeding season. If they start to hiss - back off.
- When they are in an aggressive pose they spread there wings like sails behind them, and tuck their heads down so their neck is protected and they can surge forward with great strength and speed. This is called 'busking'.
- They will nest in a huge nest built up on a platform and they will lay about 8 eggs once a year.
Image of a busking swan
Image of an adult mute swan
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Images of sleeping mute swans
- British Birds: Unique Gannet Pictures: Meeting and Greeting Gannet Style
Original bird pictures. Delightful photo journal showing unique picture of Gannets in greeting and bonding rituals. Includes information on Northern Atlantic Gannets. - Birdwatching UK: Bempton Cliffs Yorkshire
Original bird pictures. This delightful photo journal by wildlife photographer AnnMackieMiller highlights the birdwatching paradise that is RSPB Bempton Cliffs. Featured are unique bird pictures including gannets, kittiwakes, razorbills, puffins and - Pictures of 5 British Song Birds
This is a delightful photo journal of 5 of Britain's common garden birds. Pictures by wildlife photographer annmackiemiller, feature the Blackbird, the Chaffinch, the Coal Tit, the Dunnock and the British Robin.
Wildlife photographer AnnMackieMiller
Wildlife photographer AnnMackieMiller specialises in photographing wildfowl (waterfowl). All the photographs featured here are by her and are copyright dated 2011. They may NOT be copied or reproduced in any way. High resolution copies can be bought for use on blogs and websites for a small fee.
Note Card by AnnMackieMiller: cygnet
See more cards and photo gifts by AnnMackieMiller
- Photography by AnnMackieMiller: Home: Zazzle.com Store
A wonderful collection of cards and gifts featuring photography by AnnMackieMiller. I specialise in wildlife photography particularly waterfowl and use my observations to create webpages on bird behaviour at both HubPages and Squidoo.
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thank you so much
Hi Annie
These pictures are beautiful. Simply stunning!
Princesswithapen
Gorgeous photographs - and thanks for the info.
Lovely photos, I especially like the juvenile swans. I wouldn't want to get in the way of a busking swan, they look mean! Voted up.
Hi, voted up, I loved the pictures and you gave great info, I wondered what a mute swan was until you explained it.
Beautiful photos. I sure hope you are able to sell some of these wonderful photos somewhere, Annie-great job!
What beautiful creatures! I also thoroughly enjoyed reading more about mute swans and learned a great deal from your Hub. Thanks so much for sharing the photos AND the info!
Simone, thanks so much for your kind comments. much appreciated.
Thanks a lot for sharing this beautiful pictures.
Very beautiful pictures and very informative hub. Thanks for Sharing Annmackiemiller.
Wow truly beautiful pictures depicting beautiful creatures! Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic hub-Absolutely stunning photographs of the swans and great information .Voted up indeed.
Very nice article about swans. Your photography skills are very good, well done.
Very beautiful photos. Love them. The hub is a very interesting one. Thanks
Congrats on Hub of the Day. It's easy to see why this Hub was chosen. The Swan is one of the most beautiful creatures in the world, I think. I voted this UP, etc.etc.
Congratulations! What beautiful photos, and good information on top of that.
I enjoyed your window on swans. It is a lovely collection.
Gorgeous photos! They are stunning!
Congratulations on earning the Hub of the Day accolade for this worthy, beautiful hub.
The photos, as always, are stunning and I love the way you showed their typical poses and life stages with this series. And yes, the water does make the photos extra special.
Voted up across the board except for funny.
Beautiful photos! Thanks for the commentary and useful information, too. Congrats on getting Hub of the Day!
congrats for 'Hub of the day'. Very beautiful pictures and wonderful information about mute swans! Thanks for sharing!! Keep writing!!!
Beautiful pictures and useful information, thank you for sharing this with us. I am voting up and sharing.:-D
Nice photos. Thanks for sharing!
Thank-you for sharing these very nice pics. I also liked how you provided very interesting information about them. It was very informative and were things I did not know about them before.
Lovely pics and congratulations on the hub of the day.
These pictures are beautiful!!!!!!
Beautiful pictures. Voted up.
So beautiful - calm, peace.
Your images are breathtaking and so exciting. I love every one of them and particularly the 6th one down with the texture of the stone wall and the beautiful rippled reflections of the swan. Very exciting, your work is amazing. Thank you for a treat in this hub and congratulations on your award, well deserved. My votes to you.
You've managed to capture the swans nicely on the water. I remember as a youngster watching the swans on the river Exe. We learned to keep our distance when they had they were nesting and had young after being chased by flapping hissing swans.
A lovely hub, thank you.
Lovely photos Ann, and congratulations on Hub of the Day!
Congrats on being chosen Hub of the Day! Gorgeous photos. Swans are so regal. Reading your informative Hub was better than watching a wildlife documentary on TV! Voted UP, interesting, awesome AND beautiful.
Very interesting and great hub!Congratulations for Hub of the day. Keep it up!
Beautiful and so much info! I love swans and their elegance. Congratulations of Hub of the Day. Great work!
Voted up and shared! :)
Great job! I love the Juvenile running on the water. Voted up and gave you two " ticks" as you so quaintly put it.
I did vote up and beautiful as this hub is both beautiful and well done. The photos are fantastic and the information interesting. Nice job on such a graceful creature! I'm sure your photos will sell. And Congrats on hub of the day!
Your photographs of the mute swans are absolutely beautiful! I love the way you've captured the colors of the juveniles and the gorgeous reflections in the water! Congratulations on Hub of the Day - it's well deserved! Voted up!
Tnx you so much to share this beutiful hub with us!
Your hub is very interesting and informative. The photos are really gorgeous. Voted up :)
Beautiful pictures and great information too. Voted up and beautiful! Have a great day! :)
Beautiful pictures! No wonder it's hub of the day! Voted up, beautiful and thanks for SHARING.
Hi Ann, congrats on being hub for a day. Your pictures are magnificient. You really capture the full essences of the beauty of the swans. Thanks so much for sharing with the HP community. Voted up, and awesome!
What a lovely look at swans on the bright water, and learning a bit about your photos and the swans in them was interesting--thanks! Congrats on a well-deserved Hub of the Day Award.
Hi, Ann, I love your swans. The tender pictures reflect your love of birdlife. Do you happen to live near them?
And thanks for all the interesting information you've provided too. Great job. A vote UP.
Beautiful picture!
What a lovely swans! Great photos as well. Congrats for the hub of the day. Thanks for sharing.
What a great hub. Voted up and interesting. The lady who let her three young swans go for their own safety -- that must have been hard for her.
All your photographs are so good. My favorite is the young mute swans in the beigy colors. I'd love to do a color pencil painting of them if I had such a photo. They look a tiny bit like the Hawaiian goose which has a lot of browns to play with in a painting.
thanks to everyone for their wonderful comments - it makes all the hard work worthwhile.
xxx
Beautiful, I love the cygnet note card
Just beautiful my friend! Well done
This is lovely work.
Useful information abut swans
Voted beautiful. Very nice photography and good information. I have had the pleasure of working with a few Mute Swans, lovely birds.
Chaya Parmessur Level 2 Commenter 6 months ago
Hi Ann. I love swans and your pictures are really lovely and some great facts with them.
Very nicely done. voted up!