{"id":120623,"date":"2024-02-07T04:46:41","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T11:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=120623"},"modified":"2024-02-07T04:46:41","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T11:46:41","slug":"tundra-swans-and-precious-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/02\/07\/tundra-swans-and-precious-memories\/","title":{"rendered":"Tundra Swans And Precious Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tundra Swans and memories are on my mind this morning. Six years ago, I sat in my Jeep watching hundreds of Tundra Swans at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a>. I drove up there to find the peace I almost always find at the refuge.<\/p>\n

\"ImmatureImmature and adult Tundra Swans flying over the wetlands at Bear River MBR \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/5000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The calls<\/span><\/a> of the swans were music to my ears. Seeing the swans lifting off, resting, preening, and interacting with each other was a visual delight.<\/p>\n

I had another “call” that morning six years ago as I watched these swans. I talked to my mom, and as usual, I wished her a “happy birthing day” before she could utter a word on the phone. It was something I did every year for so long that I don’t recall when I started doing it.<\/p>\n

I will miss that call today and hearing her voice. I already do. Mom loved hearing the swans calling while we talked.<\/p>\n

Back to the Tundra Swans<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
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I feel very connected to these large, snow-white swans. When they are in Utah, I adore seeing them in large flocks on the wing or in smaller groups in the wetlands and marshes. They, along with Sandhill Cranes, touch something deep inside of me that reminds me that I’m as much a part of nature as they are.<\/p>\n

When I took the photo above, there weren’t as many phrags in the way of taking photos of birds next to the auto tour loop at the refuge, so I had clear views of the Tundra Swans. Today in the same location, the phrags block my view of the water there and the swans? They don’t hang around there much anymore.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"TundraTundra Swans and Mallards on an ice shelf \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/5000, ISO 1000, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

So far this winter, the photo above of Tundra Swans and Mallards on ice is my best photo of the swans this year. The swans like to rest on the ice, and it has been such a warm winter that the ice shelves that exist this season are a long way from the auto tour loop.<\/p>\n

Maybe I will be able to take better photos of the Tundra Swans before they head north to breed; maybe I won’t.<\/p>\n

Regardless, I’ll always cherish the memories of the swans and the phone call with my mom from six years ago.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Tundra Swan photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tundra Swans and memories are on my mind this morning. Six years ago, I sat in my Jeep watching hundreds of Tundra Swans at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":120617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[124,27,1148,158,26],"tags":[4004,4237,4431,4717,1129,126,4052,4122,4064,8485,4067,7951,4094,4059,6428,4628,3122,2994,3996,2063,4095,373,4193],"class_list":["post-120623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-tundra-swans","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-anas-platyrhynchos","tag-cygnus-columbianus","tag-dabbling-ducks","tag-duck","tag-ducks-2","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-ice","tag-ice-shelf","tag-immature","tag-mallards","tag-marsh","tag-phragmites","tag-phrags","tag-swan","tag-swans","tag-tundra-swans","tag-water","tag-waterfowl","tag-wetlands","tag-winter","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tundra-swans-flight-february-7-2018-mia-mcpherson-0182.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-vnx","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":110083,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/02\/07\/bear-river-mbr-winter-haven-for-tundra-swans\/","url_meta":{"origin":120623,"position":0},"title":"Bear River MBR: Winter Haven For Tundra Swans","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I had hoped that this morning would be sunny so I could head to Bear River MBR to see, listen to, and photograph Tundra Swans on the marshes.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult and immature Tundra Swans in morning flight, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/tundra-swans-adult-immature-flight-marsh-mia-mcpherson-0177.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/tundra-swans-adult-immature-flight-marsh-mia-mcpherson-0177.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/tundra-swans-adult-immature-flight-marsh-mia-mcpherson-0177.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/tundra-swans-adult-immature-flight-marsh-mia-mcpherson-0177.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":110686,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/03\/03\/big-beautiful-tundra-swans-of-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":120623,"position":1},"title":"Big & Beautiful: Tundra Swans of Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 3, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning I spent time with a flock of big, beautiful Tundra Swans at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. 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