Mute Swans,
Cygnus olor, are big birds and there are a number of adult pairs in Vancouver's Stanley Park plus a number of juvenile swans from last year. I haven't taken the time to count them but perhaps on one of my visits I should do just that. According to the National Audubon Society's,
The Sibley Guide to Birds, this bird's length is 60 inches, the wingspan is 75 inches and it weighs on average 22 pounds (10 kg). That's one good-sized bird. There is a female mallard duck,
Anas platyrhynchos, in the upper left-hand corner of the top photo. This bird by comparison is 23 inches in length, has a wingspan of 35 inches and weighs 2.4 pounds (1,100 g). This gives you some idea of the size difference. So naturally, there is a lot of preening to be done to keep the feathers clean and in order. Here is a series of photos taken at the Lost Lagoon on Sunday afternoon, an overcast but rainless day. I sat on a park bench for a long while watching this one adult swan start preening in the water and then continue on shore.
This is a graceful bird in the water but movement on land looks very laboured. On one of my visits I even noticed a swan that was "pigeon-toed." Click on the photos to get a closer look.
Ever wondered where the idea for goose-necked or swan-necked lamps came from? Well, nature would be an obvious source of inspiration. Here you see the swan stretching way to the wingtips and the tail.
I think we're done now. That's a beautiful bird and I spend a fair amount of time just watching them plus the other waterfowl. I hope you have enjoyed this view of part of the swan's life.
After the English Bay Beach visit two weeks ago, I also went on to see Stanley Park. Above is the Beech Avenue entrance, one of many ways to enter the park. Below is a photo of the lawn bowling facilities not far from that entrance and close by the tennis courts.
Above, the great blue herons are in their nest in the trees by the tennis courts. The growth of the foliage on the trees makes it harder to see the birds and their activity. The photo below shows a hydrangea flower just starting to bloom.
Above is an image of the water fountain in Lost Lagoon. Below are a series of photos of the Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) which has a length of 5.25 inches, a wingspan of 13.5 inches and a weight of 0.49 ounces (14 g) according to The Sibley Guide to Birds (National Audubon Society).
The photo above shows a great blue heron in flight across the lagoon and below is a painted turtle with its head sticking out of the water. I did see another turtle but it was not in a good position to take a photo.
The bird above is a female red-winged blackbird. This one flew off into a tree nearby and then flew at me from behind. I could feel its claws on the back of my head as it flew past. Then below are a couple of images of the swans. The second photo is of a swan organizing the greenery on its nest.
Below is a series of photos of wild bees (Bombus likely) plus one of a honeybee (last images).
Float planes are flying overhead all the time as you can see in the photo above. There the shrubs and trees are alive with activity as can bee seen with the chickadee in the image below.
The next series of photos shows female mallard ducks and their young (ducklings). I hope you have enjoyed seeing these photos of the activity at Stanley Park's Lost Lagoon in Vancouver, British Columbia.
