Trumpeter swan
Images copyright by Mark A. Chappell
The largest of all North American waterfowl, and one of the largest of all flying birds, trumpeter swans have recovered from near-extinction and now are fairly common breeders in the northwestern US, western Canada, and Alaska. The cooperative swan above was photographed on a small lake north of Willow, Alaska. A friend went out to see it on a paddleboat (it was a 'life-bird' for her) and gently herded it back towards me, into shooting range. The birds below were photographed near Anchorage, Alaska, in both winter and summer (the pair were at Potter Marsh, just southeast of the city).
