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NINIX's swan family [part 1] (64)
GreenBaron
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3167 W: 932 N: 11406]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (48650) | NINIX’s swans [part 1]
Yesterday, Saturday May 12th, I was guest of Henk, aka NINIX, and Corry Boot in Bergen op Zoom (Mountains at the Seam) for a Master Class: ”How to photograph a swan family". So first at all I want to thank Henk and Corry for their hospitality, Henk for his enthusiastic instructions and Corry for the delicious stew. Thanks my friends!
This is my story in pictures and words of NINIX’s swan family. I’m NOT competing with Henk or whatsoever, Henk is and will stay the master of the swan pictures! I’m very honoured to be a guest of His Masters Swans!
Here’s my story
Although the weather forecast wasn’t looking good, the whole afternoon, while shooting tons of pictures appeared to be excellent weather, cloudy overcast, sunny spells and a bit windy. In short: excellent photographing conditions.
Henk took me to the water were the swans have their nest, two days earlier the seven young swans hatched from their eggs, so my first impression of the swans was an empty nest with one deserted egg!
But the view would rapidly change. Walking along the reed Henk spotted in a glance the NINIX swan family in the canal next to the pond of the nest. With a high whistle he immediately got the attention of the male swan, which came sailing, proud as a frigate, towards the “Master of the Swans”. While Henk had a little chat as man between each other, the female swan and her seven young swans were imperturbable busy with eating. This was my first impression of NINIX’s swans. After a while the swans sailed along the canal towards their ‘home’ pond and here the story starts...
Before leaving the canal, father swan first inspected the surrounding if it was safe or not…apparently it wasn’t. The Green baron was too close, so he backed off. After the pull back of the Baron, the male gave the family a go for the street crossing! Henk was allowed to walk behind the eight birds.
Eight? There should be nine….were is number nine? Panic ….not with the swans but Henk freaked out ;) ... one of the young swans was missing. Were is the little white swanling? Did Mr. and Mrs. Swan deliberate forget this little fluffy swany?
To be continued tomorrow! The (sad) story of the missing young swan, really a tearjerker! Don’t miss it.
PP-talk: Only slightly cropped, add frame and text and resized for TL.
Check NINIX’s outstanding and superior swan photo portfolio here
Swans
Swans are large water birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae.
Swans usually mate for life, though "divorce" does sometimes occur, particularly following nesting failure. The number of eggs in each clutch is between 3–8.
The word is derived from Old English swan, akin to German Schwan, in turn derived from Indo-European root *swen (to sound, to sing), whence Latin derives sonus (sound). (Webster's New World Dictionary) Young swans are known as cygnets, from the Latin word for swan, cygnus. An adult male is a cob, from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group); an adult female is a pen (origin unknown).
The Northern Hemisphere species of swan have pure white plumage but the Southern Hemisphere species are white-and-black. The Australian Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) is completely black except for the white flight feathers on its wings, and the South American Black-necked Swan has a black neck.
The legs of swans are dark blackish grey, except for the two South American species, which have pink legs. Bill colour varies; the four subarctic species have black bills with varying amounts of yellow, and all the others are patterned red and black. The Mute Swan and Black-necked Swan have a lump at the base of the bill on the upper mandible.
The swan figures prominently in the cosmogeny of many ancient peoples. This felt artifact was produced by the Scythians some 2,500 years ago (a find from Pazyryk).
Many of the cultural aspects refer to the Mute Swan of Europe. Perhaps the best known story about a swan is The Ugly Duckling fable. The story centers around a duckling who is mistreated until it becomes evident he is a swan and is accepted into the habitat. He was mistreated because real ducklings are, according to many, more attractive than a cygnet, yet cygnets become swans, which are very attractive creatures. Swans are often a symbol of love or fidelity because of their long-lasting monogamous relationships. See the famous swan-related operas Lohengrin and Parsifal.
Swan maidens, shapeshifters who are able to transform from human to swan and vice versa, are a worldwide motif in folklore. The typical tale is of a swan maiden who is temporarily robbed of her powers and forced to marry a human man.
Swans feature strongly in mythology. In Greek mythology, the story of Leda and the Swan recounts that Helen of Troy was conceived in a union of Zeus disguised as a swan and Leda, Queen of Sparta.
The Irish legend of the Children of Lir is about a mother transforming her children into swans for 900 years. Myths also exist about swans themselves. It was once believed that upon death the otherwise silent Mute Swan would sing beautifully - hence the phrase swan song.
In Norse mythology, there are two swans that drink from the sacred Well of Urd in the realm of Asgard, home of the gods. According to the Prose Edda, the water of this well is so pure and holy that all things that touch it turn white, including this original pair of swans and all others descended from them. The poem Volundarkvida, or the Lay of Volund, part of the Poetic Edda, also features swan maidens. (Text: Wikipedia.com) |
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