Swan Song
I had lost the feeling to my legs a while ago. My hands were frozen and my nose icy cold. But, still I remained where I was. Wallowing in the mud; crouched down by the edges of a lake watching the swan gracefully float along the mirrored surface.
Mud squished under me as I readjusted and I tried to not think of all the bird poo I was resting on. Because there was a lot of bird poo. Definitely enough to fertilise a whole vegetable garden.
Last year I became fervently interested in the Australian black swan. I thought they were graceful and elegant, everything that I am not and I wanted to learn more about them. To do this, I spent hours upon hours of my time in the position I described above. Crouched down close to the edge of the lake, surrounded by bird poo, watching swans. Better than Netflix, I reckon.
Black swans in New Zealand were introduced from Melbourne, Australia in the 1860s. By the end of the century, they were well established. Around 500 black swans were established on the rivers Avon, Halswell and Heathcote. In fifteen years, thousands had colonised freshwater ecosystems in the South Island. Now they are widespread on both islands.
During my swan watching time, I was privileged to be privy to a pair raising a brood of cygnets. Swans are monogamous with a Cob and Pen, a male and female swan respectively, mating for life. They will typically defend a territory and raise up to seven cygnets. Now, swan parents are protective as hell. If you go near one with babies, you may get greeted with a hissing melody that would make a snake jealous. they will hiss. They will chase you. And they may beat you up for your lunch money. But, they are being protective mums and dads and it is expected. I often hear people complain about a swan being grumpy or aggressive, but I feel this to be disingenuous. They are protecting their offspring from a strange featherless beakless intruder, aka you.
I do not have a zoom lens. So, for my photography I do need to get close and personal with my subject. This is why I play the long con game. I visit the same spot day after day. I spend hours wallowing in the mud and the bird poo. Until the wildlife do not see me as an immediate threat. This is what happened with the swans. They got used to me and even brought their cygnets up to my position without any intent of chasing me off. It is always a special moment when an animal trusts you. It is without any strings attached or ulterior motive. It just is.
I enjoyed my time with the swans. Getting to know their habits. Early in the morning, it was diving for food time. A pond filled with feathered butts upturned to the sky. When it rained, their feathers appeared as if they were encrusted with diamonds. And when they set eyes on their mate, their necks bent downwards in a graceful curve.
But I had one photo in mind that I still had not captured. The wing stretch. This is when the swan stretches out their wings looking magestic as fuck. For this, I needed a change in location - a trip to Taupo, New Zealand’s biggest lake was needed. Why? Well, bigger lake - more swans was my general thinking pattern here.
So. Off I went on a four hour plus bus ride to Taupo. It was uncomfortable as hell. But I made it, with a partially numb butt and a pocket full of enthusiasm. When I arrived I scoped out the lake, checking out the swans as you do and looking for a good spot for a photo session. And I hit the jackpot when I came across a hot water beach. This is a warm part of the lake that some of the birds seemed to enjoy. I understood because it was freezing being the middle of winter. After checking into my cute as heck Airbnb, which was run by a very friendly woman who offered me free milk upon arrival. Being vegan I declined, but still appreciated the gesture. Though it was very awkward declining the milk. Anyway. Yes. After checking in and when it was nearing sunset, I ventured to the lake side. The hot part of the lake. Got low and waited. For that moment I have been waiting for, for months. The Titanic, I am king of the world, wing stretch moment. And lo and behold, it happened. And I managed to get it on camera. To say I was chuffed, was an understatement. I felt like the king of the world at that moment. I returned to Auckland the next day, feeling like I was walking on air. This is how Paparazzi must feel when they get celebrities in the nude or not wearing makeup or something. The money shot.
Read on below for some photography tips when it comes to the Black Swan and some general tasty factoids about the bird. Mmmmm, tasty facts.
A Photography Guide:
Behaviour is important when it comes to wildlife photography. When you know your subject's special moves, you can learn to watch out for them and take that awesome well timed photo. A photo that shows that animal’s behaviour. So read on for my amateur zoological interpretation of animal behaviour. Just call me David Attenborough's protege. Haha.
A lot of the time, swans are curious fellas who just want to see what you are doing. This will mean they will come zooming across the pond straight towards you and your camera. This makes it a bit difficult sometimes to focus. Especially if you have a telephoto lens. Just stay still and they will normally get bored and float away. Then get snapping.
Key parts of their behaviour that could make for interesting photos:
Wing stretch
When they have finished a good preening session, they will often stretch out those beautiful wings of these in a majestic as heck pose. In a very Titanic, King of the World manner.
Courting and mating
Bochichwaa.......
Black swans like to get a little saucy every now and then. And this sauciness normally gets shown in a dance. Dance, then the sex. Imagine if humans did that. Ha. Well. I guess they already do to some extent with the whole clubbing thing.
Anyway. Swans like to greet each other, with extension of the neck and then moving it downward into an arch. If you see two swans moving towards each other, then there is a good chance that they may be mates. Or they are about to have a territorial dispute.
Mates will do the neck bend a few times, then swim alongside each other. Gracefully and grandly. If you get that reference, you are my new best friend.
Swans will sometimes even make a heart shape with their necks in this mating/courtship dance.
Fighting
Let's talk Fight club: Swan edition. Unlike Brad Pitt's version of Fight Club, we can talk about swan fight club as there are no rules here.
Sometimes swans get a little territorial. Especially swan pairs as monogamous pairs normally guard a section of lake or pond as their special area. And really do not like it when others intrude. When you are scoping out the lake, watching the swans, you may see a swan bite another on the butt feathers. Or a swan chase another across the water.
Some Yummy Black Swan Facts
The male is a cob. The female is a pen. The babies are cygnets.
They are the state bird of Western Australia. Declared their bird emblem in 1973.
They mate for life. With pair bonded mates, greeting each other with flicks of their head and graceful neck movements.
They are herbivores. Spending their days munching on freshwater plants and grass.
They have white under their wings, which you can see when they fly overhead or stretch out their wings.