Bewick Swan

[WinchesterDave]

Having started to focus my efforts on wildlife photography, I am enjoying learning about the wildlife I'm capturing. It isn't something that I've ever really read into before when I was younger, but it's now part of the fun for me.

 

However having spent a while looking online at different images of Whooper and Bewick Swans I've decided that this is a Bewick.

 

Please tell me other wise if I'm wrong, however

 

This isn't a recent image, it was taken a while back at Martin Mere, however, having spent a week in a cottage with no wifi or phone signal the most I could do was re edit existing photos with effects.

 

I thought this worked out well

 

 

Edited April 16, 2016 by WinchesterDave

[marsh man]

Lovely photo Dave , certainly look like a Bewick Swan to me , the blob around the base of the beak is a bright Yellow and each one have got a different marking as Peter Scott found out when he and his daughter studies them and they gave each one its own name .

 

I was always led to believe that the Bewick is the only Swan in the U K that can do a vertical take off , where as the others have to run to get air born , weather this is right or not I cant confirm .

 

Anser2 is the man to tell us if we are correct as he have spent most of his life studying wildfowl and have got a lot of knowledge on that sort of thing .

[WinchesterDave]

Thank you very much for that Marshman!👍

Edited April 16, 2016 by WinchesterDave

[docholiday]

Great stuff and works well in black and white,very difficult to get the exposures for white birds.

[WinchesterDave]

Thanks mate, yes they aren't easy to expose for especially on bright days but it worked out well

[chrisjpainter]

Hey WinchesterDave. My money is on a whooper, I'm afraid! GREENGRASS might be along to confirm or disagree, but to me, that bill is more reminiscent of the extended yellow of the whooper...

 

The Bewick's yellow pattern is curtailed abruptly. As a bird, it is also smaller and more goose-like in proportion than the bigger mutes, whoopers and trumpeters.

 

Here's a whooper head. see how the yellow continues its extension down and tapers off to a finish, rather than just suddenly stopping.

 

Beware the google image trick! some will be listed in bewick because they are on a page where there is a picture of a whooper and a bewick and occasionally google misaligns the wrong picture with the description...

http://www.worldbirds.co.uk/bewicks_swan.aspx?key=16

this link shows up in the image search for bewick, but both pictures are visible in the image search - despite on being clearly labelled as a whooper!

Edited April 16, 2016 by chrisjpainter

[WinchesterDave]

Hi Chris,

 

Thank you for the lengthy reply to my post thank you!

 

I was looking online and some just looked the same and I just came to the conclusion it was a Bewick but given those pictures you've posted I see how maybe it's a whooper too possibly.

 

Hopefully someone will post and say

 

Dave

[Fuji Shooter]

Great picture that WD - love black and white stuff, helps you concentrate on the actual picture and not get distracted by colour.

[WinchesterDave]

Thank you Fuji! Yes sometimes B and W just makes the images a whole lot better thanks for looking 👍

[Penelope]

Great picture of a Whooper there.

[marsh man]

Great picture of a Whooper there.

You might well be right Paul , come to think of it , if the photo was taken recently most of the Bewick Swans would have gone back to there breeding grounds by now , although one more immigrant staying here wont make to much difference to our population .

[WinchesterDave]

Thanks fellas, since thepost I'm thinking its a whooper too👍

Edited April 18, 2016 by WinchesterDave