Trumpeter Swans Orting Valley
- Thread starter BobH
- Start date
PNWPhotos.com a friendly and growing community of photographers with an interest in the Pacific Northwest region.
We feature a Photography Discussion Forum and Pacific Northwest Photo Gallery. It's a fun and friendly place to talk with other photographers, ask questions, share you knowledge, view and post photos and more!
Thanks, glad you liked that shot. Most of the photographers were trying for in flight shots, so when they took off, everyone got excited.
They were heading up to a nearby field, leaving in small groups. I drove down the road until I found the new field, and then positioned myself on "final approach" and waited. After a bit, these guys came by.
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a commision from some of the links and ads shown on this website (Learn More Here)
I was trying to decide if I wanted to stop, since I only have a 70-200 lens, and as you can see in the above photo, a field full of geese isn't really a compelling shot.
A moment later, she said "Look at all the people taking pictures!" So at that point, I decided to stop and see what all the fuss was about.
A moment later, she said "Look at all the people taking pictures!" So at that point, I decided to stop and see what all the fuss was about.
Last edited:
I'm not a birder. I can identify some birds, bald eagle, flamingo, hummingbird, and goldfinch if I'm lucky. OK, a few more, but I'm no expert!
So I walked over to the nearest photographer and asked 'Uh, why is everyone so excited about a field full of snow geese?"
He replied, in that same tone me and my pals use when some non-railfan asks "Why are you all waiting by the train tracks?" that they weren't snow geese, they were trumpeter swans. He also told me that while they were fairly common in the Skagit Valley, they didn't usually winter this far south.
Without a long lens, I didn't get a lot of good shots. This was the shot of the day for me...
So I walked over to the nearest photographer and asked 'Uh, why is everyone so excited about a field full of snow geese?"
He replied, in that same tone me and my pals use when some non-railfan asks "Why are you all waiting by the train tracks?" that they weren't snow geese, they were trumpeter swans. He also told me that while they were fairly common in the Skagit Valley, they didn't usually winter this far south.
Without a long lens, I didn't get a lot of good shots. This was the shot of the day for me...
Last edited:
Thanks, glad you liked that shot. Most of the photographers were trying for in flight shots, so when they took off, everyone got excited.
They were heading up to a nearby field, leaving in small groups. I drove down the road until I found the new field, and then positioned myself on "final approach" and waited. After a bit, these guys came by.
A couple of the birders I spoke with seemed to be of the opinion the Swans were wintering here. I'm not familiar with them, so I'm not certain, but they did say they'd been hanging around for a while, so you might be able to find them if you visit fairly soon. Theses shots were taken on the highway between Sumner and Orting.