Trumpeter Swan

Trumpeter Swan

   When DJ and I went out west in 2010 we saw a Trumpeter Swan. We were driving south of Jackson Hole, WY. We were driving through the prairie and I saw a very small pond to my right. I saw white birds on it. One of my goals on the trip was to see Trumpeter Swans. I had a list of animals I wanted to see. Most of them were the big mammals of the west. I wasn't into birding like I am now, but I was happy to see any wildlife. However, an exception to my large mammal list were Trumpeter Swans.

   I pulled over on that day in 2010 because if I didn't, I knew I'd regret it forever. It turned out that my intuition was correct and we saw Trumpeter Swans swimming in that small pond. We saw dozens of bighorn sheep, hundreds of pronghorn and elk, but we only saw the one pair of Trumpeter Swans. The thing I remember most was my son, after seeing the virtual zoo known as Yellowstone he was still pretty excited to see those swans. I hadn't seen one since.

   Yesterday, a Trumpeter Swan was reported in Milford, MA. This morning on Massbird, people were emailing that it was still there. I planned my work day to finish up in our Bellingham store. From Bellingham, Milford is only a twenty minute drive. The bird was on Milford Pond which is a mile off of I-495 on Route 85. It couldn't have been easier to get to.

    I pulled in and walked down to the boat ramp. It was in the only open water in front of me. It was far enough away that photos weren't going to be mind blowing. I watched it for a half hour then it started to snow a little bit. Despite the cold and the bad light for photos, I found it hard to walk away. Seeing the Trumpeter Swan brought back the memory of being in Wyoming. I relived it in my mind a bunch of times while watching the bird.

Trumpeter Butt

   My son is still on his huge trip. Right now he is Kazakhstan on a train. Sort of wish we could go back in time to that Trumpeter Swan on the prairie followed by the weeks we still had in front of us on that trip. Instead, I am worrying about a 23 year old that is in his fifth country on his journey.

 
On another note, while I was looking at the Trumpeter Swan, my Rhode Island friends were all looking at a Barnacle Goose in North Kingstown. If the roads are clear tomorrow afternoon, that will be my next mission

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