Trumpeter Swan flyby . . .

As the largest native waterfowl in North America, and with a wingspan of up to 7 to 8 feet, these elegant swans need a lot of room to take off . . . on water that is: Trumpeters cannot take off on land, only on water. . . .

Found some trumpeter swans taking a break from their migration recently, and caught one showing off its wingspan. I'm always struck by just how white and beautiful their feathers are, what a treasure they are.

A family of Trumpeter Swans in flight on a late winter evening.

This trumpeter swan was coming in for a landing on the east side of the lake during the golden hour but changed its mind at the last minute and banked up and right, then decided to land a little further south on the lake. Captured earlier this year in McHenry County, Illinois.

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.