Trumpeter Swan, Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park
Today we celebrate National Bird Day, a good reason to dig a little bit in my archive and pull out a photo of a very enjoyable moment. The avid reader of this blog knows that I have photographed and documented the return of Trumpeter Swans here in eastern Iowa for many years. But my first sighting of a Trumpeter Swan was actually in Yellowstone National Park in 2005. I was still shooting with film at that time and little did I know about wildlife photography.
This photo is from a visit in 2018. We took off early from our campground outside of the park and drove along the Firehole River, just as the first rays of the sun hit the bottom of the valley. This solitary swan was in absolute “killer light” while feeding in the water.
It is not just moments like this when birds need our attention and protection of their habitats, because future generations should be able to share such enjoyable moments as well.
Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head