Taking an advice made all the difference

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

I was on my way to Springfield, Illinois today and stopped at the place where I photographed Tundra Swans last Sunday for the first time (see my post from last Monday). None of them was there anymore this afternoon and I was glad that I used the chance to see them last Sunday. I wondered if they moved further north because of the warm weather we have here again.

Here is another photo I made last weekend. This school of juveniles and adults approached the shore just after I parked my "mobile blind" beside the road. A little later another car stopped behind me. The driver made the mistake to get out of his car for taking some pictures but all what he got was butt shots. The swans didn't tolerate his appearance and turned away form the shore of the Mississippi immediately. I was glad I made my clicks already before his arrival. I'm still thankful to Burt, the photographer from Le Claire, who gave me the tip about the swans. He also told me to stay in the car. Great advice, thanks Burt!

Nature clicks #77 - Tundra Swans

Nikon D300s, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM

As hinted yesterday already there was more excitement than just the Bald Eagles at the Mississippi River. I finally met Burt Gearhart, a photographer from Le Claire I have been in contact with by email since a while. Burt kept me posted about the eagle activities at lock & dam #14. Yesterday he gave me a tip where to find Tundra Swans along the river. About 3PM the eagles refused to catch more fish and were just sitting in the trees. I decided to scout the location Burt told me about and left the dam. I found the place at the river immediately, and yes, there was a whole school of Tundra Swans near the shore. Adults and juvenile swans were present, but also Canada Geese and some ducks. If you want to see me excited, this was the moment to meet me. ;-) In addition it was probably the best time of the day to go there because the whole scene was covered in warm afternoon light. I followed Burt's advice and stayed in the car while taking shots. Despite the fact that the Tundra Swan is the most common swan in North America, I have not seen them before here in Eastern Iowa. They are easy to identify because of the yellow spot most of them have on the base of their black bills. They are smaller than the Trumpeter Swans  I have watched many times before. There may have been some Trumpeter Swans among them but I wasn't sure about it. Not all Tundra Swans have the yellow spot. Thank you Burt for giving me this tip, it made my day!

I will show some more images tomorrow. A major update on my Macbook keeps my resources busy at the moment.