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Trumpeter swan        Images © 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.  Some of the birds below were photographed near Anchorage, Alaska, in both winter and summer (the pair were at Potter Marsh, just southeast of the city).   Others were just north of Yellowstone Park in Montana.

  • Canon 1D Mk. II OR 1D4, 500 mm f4 IS lens + 1.4X converter or 800 mm IS lens + 1.4X converter (2004, 2005, 2014)