Our largest native waterfowl in North America, a Trumpeter Swan, navigates a graceful lake landing. With wingspans of up to nearly 8 feet, such beautiful birds to watch in flight.

Trumpeter Swans glide with grace across the sky during the golden hour. These are the largest native waterfowl here in North America, can stretch up to 6 feet in length and weigh more than 25 pounds. Such a delight to observe and experience. Learn more about these swans at the website of The Trumpeter Swan Society.

A couple of mute swans pass each other during a leisurely afternoon paddle on a lake. These swans were migrating and had decided to rest and feed for a spell before heading south. Although not native to North America, they are still easy on the eye.

How apropos that we should be visited by a black swan in 2020. Black swans are native to Australia, and it's anyone's guess as to how this one wound up in a forest preserve lake here in northern Illinois, but there it was with a family of mute swans . . .

Three mute swan cygnets huddle together before taking a nap.

A trumpeter swan fans its beautiful wings in the afternoon sun of a late winter day earlier this year. The snowy-white plumage of the trumpeter swan is stunning, along with the six foot wingspan of our largest native waterfowl in North America.