Saturday, 12 May 2012

Black Swans

The Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) is a well known, and even iconic Australian bird. It is rather common here, depending on where you live. Sadly, I don't see them at home, but frequently do on visits to Canberra (and Newcastle). It's always a thrill to see them.







They're common in Tasmania too, which is where I took these next two shots. 







Our black swans have a call and so I was surprised to learn that the European white swan was mute when I went to Ireland in 2010. Interesting to learn on wiki that New Zealand had a subspecies of black swan, but that it was sadly hunted to extinction.


Saturday Snapshot, is a wonderful weekly meme from at home with books
at

28 comments:

  1. Elena12 May 2012 at 17:46

    Gorgeous photos! I love pictures of birds.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Trish12 May 2012 at 21:19

    How beautiful they are!

    ReplyDelete
  3. (Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea12 May 2012 at 21:20

    Fabulous photo. Stunning creatures:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous12 May 2012 at 21:54

    Beautiful photographs.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Staci12 May 2012 at 22:02

    They are beautiful and I love the touch of color on their beaks!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lisa@ButteryBooks12 May 2012 at 22:19

    Wow, I have never seen a black swan. They are stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  7. BurtonReview 12 May 2012 at 22:33

    How beautiful! Thanks for sharing these! My Snapshot.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Laurel-Rain Snow12 May 2012 at 22:58

    Wow! They look kind of eerie on the water together, like converging troops.

    Yet they are also gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.

    Here's MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous12 May 2012 at 23:06

    Your second photo is a nice close-up of the swan and his beak.
    I've never seen black swans before. We have mostly white ones where we are in Canada.

    ReplyDelete
  10. JoAnn12 May 2012 at 23:23

    A nearby community has a swan pond, and it's white inhabitants draw visitors from miles around. I've never seen a black swan... they are gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Susan Lindquist12 May 2012 at 23:24

    What beautiful birds! So interesting that they are black. I have only seen the white variety ... they are such regal birds!

    ReplyDelete
  12. bermudaonion13 May 2012 at 01:06

    They're gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Alyce13 May 2012 at 01:24

    I didn't even know there was such a thing - very neat!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Eva13 May 2012 at 03:32

    I had no idea that there was such a thing as black swans before I saw them on a visit to Australia in 1994.
    Geogeous birds.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sim Carter13 May 2012 at 04:22

    Sensational shots of these stunning birds. I love that shot of vivid red on the beaks!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Lisa13 May 2012 at 04:54

    The black swans are amazing! Great pictures!

    My Snapshot

    ReplyDelete
  17. edgar13 May 2012 at 05:53

    It's true there are black swans and they swim in a swan lake.

    They are pretty like the white ones.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Leslie (Under My Apple Tree)13 May 2012 at 07:04

    An entire flock of them is quite a sight. I got to see a couple of them at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melb. They weren't making any sounds though. Here in the US we only have the white ones.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Paulita 13 May 2012 at 09:28

    They're so magnificent, someone should make a movie about them. Oh, they already did. Great shots. Here's Mine

    ReplyDelete
  20. Laura BurgandyIce13 May 2012 at 10:20

    Wow!!! I love your pictures! I didn't know that - any of that about any swan! It's amazing to see so many black ones together. I don't think I've seen more than 2-3 swan at once and it's always magical. Thx!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Irene13 May 2012 at 11:03

    They are MAGNIFICENT. Wish I could get a great picture, like yours, to paint.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Bev Hankins13 May 2012 at 11:10

    How very cool! And there are so many of them.

    Here's my Snapshot.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Cassie13 May 2012 at 13:01

    How beautiful! I've never seen black swans in person, but I'd love to. They look so regal.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Virginia13 May 2012 at 23:40

    I'm partial to the red bill! Beautiful birds.
    V

    ReplyDelete
  25. Catriona Cullum14 May 2012 at 11:16

    What wonderful pictures :D

    ReplyDelete
  26. Carol 15 May 2012 at 00:52

    Beautiful photos, Louise.

    carol

    ReplyDelete
  27. Pooch15 May 2012 at 02:22

    The first pic is amazing. They look so exotic.

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Eugenia O'Neal20 May 2012 at 05:56

    Wow! I'd never heard of black swans (outside of the movie)! Seeing them all together there in the first picture was awesome.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting.