Last week Mute Swans were preening and foraging for food at the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Again, I was able to come close to take the following photos. By the way, when you see white feathers floating on the water, they were a by-product of the swans’ preening.
Juvenile Mute Swans.
Mute Swans. The one on the left is an adult, with one leg tucked under its wings.
Adult Mute Swan.
Juvenile Mute Swan.
Adult Mute Swan.
Juvenile Mute Swans preening.
neihtn 
Lovely swan photos. Adult swans are white and children are not.
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Thank you for visiting and commenting!
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Swans have nearly left Finland – winter is near.
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Wonderful swan photos,Hien.Loved seeing them grooming their feathers and swimming in the beautiful blue waters.I double-clicked your second photo and perfectly saw his black Ieg tucked in his lovely white feathers.Thanks for telling us,I ‘d have missed this gorgeous posture 🙂
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Doda, that black foot was a surprise for me too. It seems swans do that quite often, to help in regulating their body temperature.
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Sounds interesting,Hien.I do appreciate your extra info 🙂
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Wonderful captures! I especially like the second with the reflection of the red bill.
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Sorry, make that the third.
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Thank you Sue!
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Beautiful images of the swans! You’re right, they shed a lot of feathers when they preen.
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They sure do! I was aghast when I first saw an entire portion of a pond covered with white feathers.
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Beautiful Swans. Is there any reason they are called “mute”?
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Katelon, they are not really mute. They are usually silent and not as chatty as some other birds, but they will make sounds when necessary.
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Gorgeous photos Hein. When we were in Ireland we saw swans preening as well. Do you know what they do it?
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Thanks Sue. The swans preen to keep themselves clean, get rid of parasites, and to maintain smooth feathers.
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Oh thanks for letting me know!
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Nice photos, Hien. I thought all swans are either black or white 😉
Have a great evening.
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The juvenile swans may be bicolor, but then will be all white when mature.
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Thanks, Hien.
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