{"id":50985,"date":"2018-02-14T05:29:09","date_gmt":"2018-02-14T12:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=50985"},"modified":"2025-05-18T15:36:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T20:36:49","slug":"photographing-a-pair-of-tundra-swans-in-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/02\/14\/photographing-a-pair-of-tundra-swans-in-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"Photographing a Pair of Tundra Swans in Flight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TundraTundra Swans lifting off from the water – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year at this time I couldn’t get to the auto tour loop at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> due to flooding caused by warm temps combined with early spring runoff that flooded parts of northern Utah. That included the roads on the refuge which meant I didn’t get many photos of the Tundra Swans before they headed north to their breeding grounds on the arctic tundra of Canada and Alaska.<\/p>\n

I seem to be making up for that this year by photographing the swans as often as I can when I am out on the refuge. Yesterday there were plenty of swans out in the marshes. A few of the swans were resting on the thin ice that has formed after a couple a cold nights and chilly days. Just a week ago there wasn’t any ice to be seen at all because of the abnormally warm temperatures we have had.<\/p>\n

\"PairPair of Tundra Swans in flight – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Tundra Swans lift off from the water I try to isolate just one or two birds to track because when there are any more than that I can almost predict with certainty that I am going to have out of focus swans in the photo. When I focus on just one or two I can usually have enough depth of field to get them in focus and sharp.<\/p>\n

\"TwoTwo Tundra Swans flying over Bear River MBR – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday I was able to lock on to a pair of Tundra Swans lifting off and taking flight over brilliant blue water in beautiful light with the marsh and mountains in the background.\u00a0 I took 31 images of these swans as they flew towards the east and passed in front of me before they turned towards the north.<\/p>\n

\"TundraTundra Swan pair in flight – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

As I photographed this pair of Tundra Swans in flight I could hear the whir of their wings and the calls of the other swans that were still on the water and also getting ready to lift off.<\/p>\n

\"TundraTundra Swan duo in flight – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/3200, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Being at the refuge early is the morning is always a joy for me because I am filled with a sense of peace while I am there. That feeling is amplified when I can photograph the Tundra Swans that are at home in the marshes during the winter.<\/p>\n

I wish I could package that feeling, wrap it with a bow and send it out to everyone. Today but I will simply wish you all a Happy Valentines Day instead.<\/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":"

As I photographed this pair of Tundra Swans in flight I could hear the whir of their wings and the calls of the other swans that were still on the water and also getting ready to lift off. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":144790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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":[4431,4052,4282,4094,2139,8301,8300,4628,3122,2994,3996,2063,4095,373],"class_list":["post-50985","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-cygnus-columbianus","tag-flight","tag-lift-off","tag-marsh","tag-pair","tag-photograph","tag-photographing","tag-swan","tag-swans","tag-tundra-swans","tag-water","tag-waterfowl","tag-wetlands","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swans-flight-mia-mcpherson-2136.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-dgl","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":118007,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/11\/10\/time-to-see-and-hear-tundra-swans\/","url_meta":{"origin":50985,"position":0},"title":"Time To See And Hear Tundra Swans","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 10, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Now is a great time to see and hear Tundra Swans from the marshes at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I saw several large flocks of them yesterday from there.","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":"Autumn flock of Tundra Swans in flight, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/tundra-swan-flock-in-november-mia-mcpherson-7045.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/tundra-swan-flock-in-november-mia-mcpherson-7045.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/tundra-swan-flock-in-november-mia-mcpherson-7045.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I had a blast photographing the Tundra Swans at the refuge yesterday and for the first time in a while I forgot about practically everything but the birds in front of me and the peace I find at the refuge.","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":"Tundra Swan adult flying by, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, 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2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I spent part of my morning yesterday being serenaded by the calls of thousands of Tundra Swans at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah.","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":"Lone Tundra Swan and the snowy Promontory Mountains, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swan-flight-mia-mcpherson-8218.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swan-flight-mia-mcpherson-8218.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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It is a day to celebrate these large, white, beautiful birds that spend time here during the winter.","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":"Tundra Swans and winter sky, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swans-flight-cloudy-sky-mia-mcpherson-8371.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swans-flight-cloudy-sky-mia-mcpherson-8371.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swans-flight-cloudy-sky-mia-mcpherson-8371.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swans-flight-cloudy-sky-mia-mcpherson-8371.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55925,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/02\/03\/focusing-on-the-tundra-swans-and-wetlands-of-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":50985,"position":5},"title":"Focusing On The Tundra Swans And Wetlands Of Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"One year ago today I spent the morning focusing on and photographing the Tundra Swans and wetlands of Bear River MBR and I have to say that those birds and the marshes bring me such joy that I feel like I have to share them over and over.","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":"Tundra Swans in the marshes of Bear River MBR at dawn, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swans-dawn-bear-river-mbr-mia-mcpherson-8572.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swans-dawn-bear-river-mbr-mia-mcpherson-8572.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swans-dawn-bear-river-mbr-mia-mcpherson-8572.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tundra-swans-dawn-bear-river-mbr-mia-mcpherson-8572.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}