Today’s post features one of the magical moments of being in the field, photographing the Trumpeter Swans. During last week’s 2-day trip to Loess Bluffs NWR, I had the fortune of having several groups of Trumpeter Swans flying very close by as I photographed from the tour route road. Here are some of my favorite memories:
Upon entering the refuge, shortly after sunrise, the activity was already in progress (the Snow Geese were beginning to stir, in the background):
As I settled in along the auto tour route, this pair of adult Trumpeter Swans were caught flying straight towards me:
A short while later, a single adult Trumpeter Swan flew across, in front of me:
I was “lucky” to see this pair of adult Trumpeter Swans as they flew across the refuge waters, very low:
All of these images were captured on the first day. I’ll likely have more from Day 2 to share.
Photographic Equipment Used:
- Canon 7D and 7D Mark II bodies
- Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS lens (matched with the 7D), and Canon EF 500mm f/4 IS lens + Canon 1.4x TC (matched with the 7D Mark II)
- Handheld (7D), and Bogen 3221 tripod, with Wemberly gimbal head (7 D Mark II)
- ISO 400 and ISO 500
- Aperture f/5.6 and f/8
- Shutter 1/1000 sec. and 1/1600 sec.