Rare visitors, a pair of Trumpeter Swans

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It has been over a decade since Trumpeter Swans visited my county in So Colorado so it was most enjoyable to see this pair at Brush Hollow Reservoir. (to see the rest of the write up and 4 more photos click on Read More below to open the full blog post)
And it was sweet to get to watch and photograph when one of them stretched it's 8 foot+ wingspan, how magnificent.
The pic above shows some of the field marks for Trumpeter versus other species of swans as noted in the Trumpeter Swan Society web page:  "The bill is heavy in proportion to head with a straight profile. Angular head shape somewhat resembling canvasback duck. Eye not distinct from bill." bill."
And the pic below shows the red border on the lower mandible and without the yellow spot in front of the eyes as found on Tundra Swans (which can sometimes have a red border on the lower mandible per the Trumpeter Swan Society website).
Note that I deferred blogging about these swans until they had left as they were very vulnerable on the fairly small Brush Hollow Reservoir which is rarely patrolled (and noted by many articles about these swans being found shot and a post about it). They were first sighted there on January 23 and the last time I saw them was March 2, a stay of over of 5 weeks. SeEtta

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