Trumpeter Swans are the largest native waterfowl in North America so it is no surprise that they need up to a hundred yards of water to taxi and takeoff. They typically bob their heads up and down and honk a bit right before they are ready to go, and these two swans in McHenry County, Illinois were no exception in early March as I watched them gather at the north end of the lake so they could take off into the south wind . . .

A trumpeter swan stretches its wings in a shallow lake in McHenry County Illnois earlier this week. There is a family of 6 trumpeters along with a few others that have made themselves at home, and are enjoying a warmer than normal winter.