Swan Report - April 19, 2012

Good morning,
Here are the latest numbers from the Swan Haven Interpretation Centre on Marsh Lake, Yukon:

During the last few days many folks have spotted large flocks of swans flying over Whitehorse. This is a wonderful sight, but it does mean that our numbers of at Swan Haven have decreased to 550 Trumpeter Swans. 

Lets hope more swans arrive in the coming days....

Cheers,
Claus

Swan Report - April 17, 2012

Good morning from the Yukon.  Here is the latest swan report courtesy The Yukon Department of Environment:

Last night there were more or less the same number of swans at Swan Haven, over 1100, while the numbers at Tagish have increased to 500.  New arrivals, at both locations, include the Greater white-fronted goose, northern pintails, green-winged teals, buffleheads, mallards and Canada geese.

If you are in the Yukon make sure you drop by the Swan Haven Interpretation Centre as they celebrate the annual Celebration of Swans event.  Several viewing scopes, a viewing platform and a walking trail on the ice allow visitors to spot these majestic birds while Interpreters are on hand to answer any questions you may have about the natural history of the swans.  The Celebration of Swans runs from April 14 to 22nd.

I cannot wait until the weekend.

Cheers,
Claus

Swan Report for April 16, 2012

Here are the latest swan numbers from this past weekend:

Wow - the numbers of trumpeter swans at Marsh Lake have soared to 1150 individuals.  Nice to see them back!

Welcoming the swans and spring

What a weekend it has been! 

Monday morning I counted 300+ trumpeter swans at the Tagish Bridge while at Marsh Lake the official number was 409.  The swans keep on coming...

We could not have asked for a better weekend - nothing but bright sun, brilliant blue skies and plenty of swans flying overhead.  A perfect weekend to welcome spring. 

Hard to believe that the swan population will swell to more than a 1000 by weeks end.  Let's hope the weather cooperates for us photographers.

Stay tuned -  in the coming days I'll be posting more images and share a few thoughts on capturing these graceful birds with your camera.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Cheers,

Claus

Photo info:  same as previous post

Rumour has it....

Rumour has it that the first of the swans have returned to the Yukon!!   Spring must be around the corner :)
Hope all is well in your corner of the world.
Cheers,
Claus

Image:  Trumpeter Swans, Tagish Lake, Yukon (April, 2011)

The Swans of Tagish

Observing and photographing wildlife along the shores of the Tagish River (often referred to as the Tagish Narrows) could not have been any better than it was during last weekend's Easter holiday.  Excellent weather conditions, blue skies and a thousand swans rewarded those who took the time to travel the 100km distance from Whitehorse.

During the holiday weekend biologists had observed well over 1000 trumpeter swans, 400 tundra swans and scores of migratory ducks swimming and feeding along the shores of the Narrows.  Thousands more could be spotted at Swan Haven on Marsh Lake and along the open stretches of Kluane Lake.  From what I understand the bridge over the Teslin River at Johnsons Crossing was also a popular spot to photograph swans.

Joining the swans were wigeons, pintails, goldeneyes, buffleheads, mergansers, green-wing teals and mallards.  Numerous bald eagles and northern harrier hawks patrolled the skies over the waters in search of unsuspecting prey. A pair of river otters also playfully swam alongside the icy shores in search of food and a resting place.

A handful of international photographers had also taken up temporary residence along the Narrows during the weekend.  Photographers of every skill-level stood for hours along the shores of the Narrows or on the bridge hoping to capture their prized shot as the swans flew overhead or swam by.

Overcast skies, a steady breeze and chilly temperatures dominated much of Good Friday.  Weather conditions improved remarkably on Saturday morning when brilliant blue skies and plenty of sun provided ideal conditions to photograph the swans.  The clouds and haze had returned by Sunday afternoon.

My most successful shots from the previous three weekends were those from Saturday morning's photo-shoot.  The crisp blue skies were the perfect backdrop for the snowy-white feathers of the swans as they flew overhead - I could not have wished for a better day.  Sadly, I only had a few hours with the swans that day as I had to return to Pelly Crossing for a few hours.  Wish I had more time as the skies were not as blue on Sunday.

My camera of choice this past weekend was the Nikon D300 (for its digital crop factor).  The Nikor 300mm f/2.8 lens (with a 1.7x teleconverter) was my principal lens for the swan shots.  Aperture priority was used, the continuous high shutter command was set ON as was the VR (vibration reduction).  With the bright skies an ISO of 250 (underexposed by 1 stop) was all that was needed to capture sharp images.  Most of the swan flyover images were handheld.

Well over 600 images were shot during the course of the weekend, of which a dozen or so were 'keepers'.

What a stellar weekend!  Life has finally returned to the Yukon!!

Join me in the coming days as I share my top 10 ten tips to successfully photographing swans.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world,

Cheers
Claus

Sunday morning with the swans

I'm still smiling from ear to ear as I sort through my images and recall my weekend with the swans of Tagish River.  Such a treat it was to have photographed and observed them.  

In the coming week I'll post a few more images along with some notes on my observations and tips to photographing these elegant creatures.  

Good night.

Swans in flight

Greetings once again from Whitehorse!

The trumpeter swans continue to arrive en masse as they make their way northwards to their summer breeding grounds throughout the Yukon and into Alaska.  Each year, in early spring, the swans make a brief 10-day stopover at Marsh Lake (and surroundings) where they rest and fatten-up on aquatic roots and other plants before they resume their journey northwards.   As of Friday biologists have observed at least 400 swans in the region (a far cry from last year's record of 2000+ individuals).

My goal for this weekend was to try and capture the beauty and elegance of their flight with my camera and 300mm lens - not an easy task as I have discovered.  Constantly changing light conditions (thanks to the clouds), an unpredictable flight path and keeping a steady hand while using the large lens were some of the challenges I faced as I tried to snap crisp images within a short time frame. 

One of the best places to photograph the swans in flight is from the Tagish River Bridge.  This morning I counted well over 100 swans feeding and swimming on both sides of the small bridge.  Every hour or so (sometimes much longer) a pair would fly overhead forcing me to scramble to get into position for a good shot - no worries, there was very little traffic on the bridge.   

All in all I spent close to 4 hours today observing the swans feed, swim, rest and communicate with each other.  I did notice a few pairs calling and bobbing their heads together in unison (supposedly a behaviour used to strengthen pair bonding).   I did manage to photograph a few fly-overs along with 8GB worth of behavioural images - some of those will be posted in the coming days.  

I'm pleased with my results as this was my first attempt photographing birds in flight.  There's still oodles to learn - lets see what tomorrow brings.

Good night,  

Claus   

Camera settings for the day: 

- Vibration Reduction set 'on' (a similar function appears in Canon cameras)

- camera set at Aperture Priority, Continuous High and underexposed by a full-stop (for sunny days this will avoid blowing out the whites in feathers)

- f/stop between 5.6 to 8

- ISO 250 (will try for a bit higher tomorrow to obtain a faster shutter speed)

- spare batteries as the VR function takes its toll on batteries

- 16GB memory card (will record over 700 images in RAW)

Spring melt is underway

Greetings once again from the Yukon!

At long last the spring melt is underway.  Balmy temperatures (+10 oC), blue skies and plenty of sunshine greeted my return north.  Local radio reports have announced that the first of the swans have arrived.  I also spotted my first sic-sic (ground squirrel) of the year foraging on shrubs in an old fire burn site.  These little critters have just emerged from spending close to six months hibernating under the snow.  Soon the grizzlies, sandhill cranes, eagles and geese will join the cast of characters that make the Yukon their home during the summer months.  Needless to say I cannot wait to join them with my camera in hand.

Todays' picture is of the Yukon River at Five Fingers along the Klondike Hwy.  Notice how the river has already started to melt.