Today's Walk - Swan Lake Revisited (again)

January 15, 2024

It was such a perfect January day that I changed my plans and drove up to the trumpeter swan wintering area at the north end of the Slocan River. This wide, shallow wetland is really a lake, although not identified as such on any map that I know of.

There were around a hundred swans here today, along with dozens of Canada geese and several species of ducks.

Some of the swans were still feeding, dipping down for aquatic vegetation in the shallows, but most were just soaking up the rays, snoozing or preening on one of the sandbars that rise above the surface here and there.

I’ve often noticed that ducks like to hang around a group of swans, like these mallards swimming alongside a family of two adults and two juvenile trumpeters. Maybe some kind of symbiotic relationship?

(By the way, I'm referring to all the swans as trumpeters, but there could be some tundra swans in the mix, too. It's hard to tell the difference, especially at the longer distances these swans were from me.)

This little gang of four whitetail deer were also enjoying the sunshine. Even though they were on the opposite shore from me, they decided to hightail it when I walked by. Sorry, guys.

I usually see an eagle on my wanderings up here and today was no exception. This guy caused a degree of consternation among the assembled waterfowl as it sailed by overhead.

Unimpressed by the big, splashy birds that dominate the scene here, this little American dipper went about its business as usual, dipping and diving for invertebrates along the shoreline.

As I was starting to head back home, the swans began trumpeting. I stood and listened for a while, just drinking in the magic of the crisp, sparkling day and the music of the majestic birds that grace us with their presence every winter. The rising chorus of voices sometimes signals that the swans are about to take wing and, sure enough, as if by some unseen cue a dozen or so of the big birds launched themselves into the sky with a noisy flapping of wings, followed soon thereafter by a few more squadrons.

Once in the air, the swans split up into smaller groups and circled in various directions for five or ten minutes.

I don’t know why they did this. Maybe it was just to stretch their wings and get a bit of exercise, or maybe they were repositioning themselves for the evening, but they ultimately just landed in the same general area and settled down. But, hey—thanks for the air show!

This day was just what I needed to lift me up after weeks of low-hanging clouds and a lingering post-holiday funk. So thankful, as always, to be living on this beautiful piece of the planet.

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