Figure 1 – Whistling swan, Marlborough, MA. (c) DE Wolf 2014.

Figure 1 is a photograph of the great indigenous wild eastern American swan, called the “Whistling swan” (Cygnus columbianus).  It tends to be less pure white than the introduced european swan (the muted swan – cygnus olor) and is distinguished by it’s black as opposed to orange in, the muted, beak.  These birds are true peaceful elegance.  They are delightful to watch and truly seem to glide through the water.  You can always hear Saint-Saens music in your head.

John James Audubon (1785 – 1851) painted this bird in 1838. Whenever I visit a Massachusetts lake or pond, I look for them and, when I see them, I try to imagine what wild untouched America was like.  They are a connection with an otherwise forgotten past..