September 17, 2024 8:31 pm
Is There A Swan Song For The Majestic Mutes in ontario
Sunny Side
Sunnyside Beach in Toronto is located just steps off the Lakeshore Boulevard, east of The Humber River estuary. It can accommodate many beach-goers in their search and easy access to leisure grounds. Parking [paid] is also available within a few minutes from the sand and water as are some seasonal amenities.
Mute swans often gather at Sunnyside in small numbers [5-20] when not breeding, or by unpaired singles and adolescents.
They are among my favourite birds to observe and photograph.
Their reputation of being graceful, majestic and beautiful are legendary.
A protected species in the United Kingdom, but not so here in the North Americas, including Canada.
Mute swans in Ontario are viewed as an invasive species, having been introduced as an ornamental bird in the late 1800’s.
In the last decade there has been a drive to eradicate them, over the preference for Trumpeter swans.
I use the word eradicate but the official term is Mute Swan Management.
You can read the management PDF here Please do!
They also seem to have a negative reputation, ‘mean and aggressive’, of which I have never experienced in all of my interactions while photographing.
Just saying
Windy and sunny, a nice day to try and get close to the swans at Sunnyside.
The wind was very steady and quite strong. My baseball hat had blown off a few times, so I swapped it for a closer fitting skullcap, a beany. There’s no front flap to get lifted by the wind and my glasses are more secure with the fit. I wore all black too so I really will stand out among the white plumages.
But here goes nothing.
The technique I use to get close to swans was developed over time through trial and error [a lot of error and not disclosed here, in a future post I will share].
It may not work for others either.
However, my camera bag is set down on the hard packed damp sand, 50-60 feet away from a group of 10-12 resting mute swans.
I am sitting in the middle of the group with two cameras and a couple of lenses. If my movement was quick, it would illicit a hiss or two to remind me that I’m an uninvited guest.
But hardly a feather was ruffled.
A male cob kept a keen eye on me most of the time but even he eventually nestled within a meter or so away from me.
It took about 45 minutes to reach this stage, from setting my gear down, to sitting with the group.
Above, many roaming seagulls were gliding and hovering in the strong winds with nary a wing beat.
S for swan
About a hundred meters to my side, I was being observed by other leisure seekers, with their finger pointing directed at me. There were probably less than twenty people at the beach area.
Who wants to go to the beach on such a windy day?
A footpath used by cyclists, joggers and walkers paved the route that separates the long parking lot from the beach. Even that was a less traveled path today.
I was able to take photographs for about twenty minutes without any problems until..,
Enter a female jogger…
…running off the path onto the sand clutching a bag of [sliced] bread and walked to within 25 feet of the swan group, with me in the middle.
That startled the swans.
Hissing erupted, wings started to spread.
The bag of bread was opened and she tore at the slices, hurling handfuls into our, one moment prior, peaceful and settled group.
The seagulls above went into an absolute frenzy, dive-bombed from every angle.
It was a complete blitzkrieg aerial assault.
The swans were terrified.
Swans with their massive wing-beats, panicked and hissed in confusion and annoyance. Loose feathers flew in the wind, and greedy, squawking gulls with stabbing beaks seared into the free-for-all swirling chaos.
Within two surprised eye-beats, the scene had erupted into a beach tornado of pure fear and loathing.
Pandemonium at its best!
I crunched into a protective ball shape and made a successful exit, rolling clumsily to the waters edge, some 10 feet away.
I stood up and watched the woman who caused that mess, merrily jog away.
I guess she achieved what she set out to do. [?]
The hissing swans hurriedly dispersed with wing-flaps of agitation, many into the water around me.
I took accidental, skimming flaps to the legs and face.
The gulls took over, victoriously!
My body stumbled back to the camera bags, my mind shook with an inside rage and a very nervous overload of tension.
I was finished… at least this one for the day!
Eyes on me
What are your thoughts?
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