Detour of the Swans

It took every ounce of discipline and focus I have in my body to pry my hands from the chair on the deck of the cabin and head south to the city. My heart and mind very much wanted to stay put. But two more business road trips will take me away this week so I headed to St. Paul so that I could catch my flight in the morning.

The traffic between the northern lakes and the Twin Cities is always the most congested on this day each year. I decided not to fight it. Instead, I stopped my car at several points on the way home and marched through the meadows with my big lens. The Swan River is nestled at various points along the route I follow south. And today it lived up to its name.

Never before had I been so close to wild swans. They are massive birds and yet the elegance and grace that they possess is remarkable. After shooting a few dozen shots, I hung my camera around my neck and watched them as intently as I would have a fine dance production. Their movement was hypnotic and it needed to be seen through something other than a lens.

Please have a wonderful week and thank you for your kindness and your visits this past week. I have most enjoyed having a bit more time for Blipfoto the past few days.

To those and their relatives that have diverted or sacrificed their lives to protect the lives and freedoms of others, I thank you on this Memorial Day.

This bird had an RFID tag on its foot that you might be able to see in large.
I love the fact that the Department of Natural Resources is studying this declining species and I hope the Swan population benefits from their hard work.

For some reason when I transfered the file from LR to PS for final edits, I lost the EFIX data. Here it is: ISO 400 - f10 - 350mm - 1/400th