Chirps and Cheeps

A Photo Journal of My Birding Experiences & Observations

My birding blog site


  Trumpeter Swans, Horned Larks, and Pintails

Published: February 03, 2018
Tags: General Observations, Trumpeter Swan, Horned Lark, Northern Pintail, American Black Duck, Horned Lark

My friend, Gale, reported six Trumpeter Swans down in Fredonia at a little pond behind a Walmart shopping store.  It's amazing the different species this little pond has attracted over the years.  Gale mentioned on her Instagram account (@novembergale) that the water hardly ever freezes due to the road salt that gets kicked into it.  It's a nice attractant to waterfowl - and this day, SIX Trumpeter Swans!  I just had to see these large and magnificent beauties.  And happily, they were still there when I arrived.

I was surprised at the number of American Black Ducks that were lined up and sleeping along the edge of the pond.  I counted nearly twenty of them.  I had just about the same number out in a cornfield where I stopped the other day on my way to my folks' house.  The cornfield hosted hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards as well as the black ducks and, to my surprise, a few Northern Pintail already.

On my way home from Dunkirk, I took a long, rural route and was glad to find some Horned Larks out in a field.  They were quite close, actually, nipping at the seed heads of some weeds growing at the roadside edge of a farm field.  There were only a couple dozen of them, but they're always a nice bird to see!

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Trumpeter Swan head shot showing the long, straight bill

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Trumpeter Swan

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Trumpeter Swan

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Trumpeter Swan - the more "v" like shape at the base of the bill can be seen in this photo.

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Trumpeter Swans

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Horned Lark nipping at some seeds - and showing his little "horns"

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Reaching for some seeds

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There's always fussing and fighting with birds!

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Showing his better side...

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Some of the sleeping American Black Ducks

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A pair of Wood Ducks was a nice surprise

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Elegant male Northern Pintail

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Northern Pintail - male (left) and female (right)

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The male pintail with a black duck behind and to the right




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