swans

swans 
My encounter with the Trumpeter Swans was not planned. It was with astonishment that I learned on the spot that a few individuals lived on the territory of Abitibi-Témiscamingue. So I left the sandhill cranes and grebes that I had been observing for a few days to try my luck with them. A couple of swans were spotted by a friend with whom I had an appointment to find them. With two of them, the search would be much easier. Arrived on the spot, the two big white birds were sleeping on a small arm of land in the middle of a bay. We were on an old mine spill lake. I could never have known that if I hadn't been informed. You could see thousands of birds of all kinds and a lot of vegetation. The sun being at its highest, we decided to go in search of Sharp-tailed Grouse that also lived in this area. All afternoon, we searched relentlessly to find only one sandhill crane. The sun was going down and we had now two hours before the ideal light. We had to go back to the swans and wait all this time. It was then that as I went to change more warmly in my vehicle, a man called out to me. He knew me and knew that I was trying to observe the famous Grouse. He insisted strongly that we follow him, because he knew where to find them. An immense dilemma tormented me. If I stayed with the swans, I had an opportunity to capture these magnificent birds at sunset. On the other side, I had the chance to see the mythical Grouse and maybe even one of their phenomenal courtship rituals. So we went out again to look for the Grouse. After about ten minutes we made a first encounter with a female. Really, it is a beautiful and elegant bird. She unfortunately did not leave us the chance to get out of our vehicles. Then, nothing more... At the end of the road, we had not seen anything and it remained now only one hour before the sunset. In a movement of haste, we went back on our steps to reposition ourselves where we were. On the way, a Grouse flew away in front of my car. Sometimes looking too quickly, we miss beautiful opportunities. Arrived on the spot, elbows in a fluorescent orange mud which worried me strongly, we waited. The swans were on the other side of the bay so too far for us. It was close to the same man who, after showing us the grouse had continued on his way to see the swans on the other side of the lake. He had pretended a little earlier to be able to talk to the swans, which he was doing quite strongly in front of us. He said: "Go beautiful swans, go see the photographers on the other side". The swans did not seem to want to listen to him at all and they were a few meters away from him. There were now only ten minutes left and I still hadn't made a picture of those beautiful birds. In a burst of distress, I got up and started talking to them as the man was doing. It was with amazement that I and my friend realized that the two swans were moving towards us. I talked to them while gesticulating until they were a few meters away from us, then I lay down on the ground again. It is from this moment that in a few minutes, I captured hundreds of images of these magic beasts surrounded by the thin light of the sunset. It was an unhoped-for ending and I was screaming with joy! I never understood this behavior. They were feeding in the mud and did not seem domesticated since they had just arrived on the lake the same day according to many local observers who come daily. I slept on the spot to try to catch them at sunrise. However, the so cooperative swans that we had known the day before left the lake in front of my eyes a few minutes before sunrise. The spectacle of seeing them take off on tens of meters was heartbreaking, but magnificent. An elegant farewell as only swans can do.