Trumpeter Swans of Turnagain Arm

Trixie and another friend had told me about swans at Potter Marsh. This week I had been slammed at work and was unable to break away until yesterday. That's good because the weather was nice yesterday after raining all week. Actually a little too nice for pictures. The sun was a little bright and there were a few glare issues.

Any way, first stop was Potter Marsh where there were lots of other people stopping to watch and get some pic's of the Trumpeters that were there. Since it was a little crowded, I figured if there were swans there, they would be all along Turnagain Arm between Girdwood and portage. I was right.

Next stop was just south of Girdwood where these 4 Trumpeters were just touring around and honking very loudly at the traffic speeding by. There honk sort of sounds like an old Buick.

After a bit it was time to move on. I got to the welcome sign for Chugach State Park and saw what was in store for me. I had planned as going as far as Portage and this is what the weather looked like from where I was. Oh well, leave the sunny weather in Anchorage for some rain I guess.

If you look in the pic at left you can see the rain drops hitting the lake. These 2 were right off the highway but didn't like me getting too close. The cars and trucks buzzing by at 65 mph wasn't an issue, but me pointing a camera was. Enough getting wet, it's time to turn around.

Just past Portage I saw a whole bunch of them as my son would say "just chillin". A few were sleeping, eating and just touring around both young and older ones. I could see them from the highway, but it was a little hike back to them. I stayed there for a bit before it was time to head home.

If you want to know more about Trumpeter Swans, check out the Trumpeter Swan Society. To find out more about injured swans in Alaska and their rehabilitation, check out the Bird TLC blog. For more pic's of my trip, click on the photo below

Trumpeter Swan Hunting along Turnagain Arm

Trying to catch up because Blogger was being challenging.

Meggie of Meggie's Stuff honored me with the "You Make Me Smile" award. Well, she made me smile by doing just that. This blog is fairly new and to attract someone so far away as a reader and give such a nice compliment, well she made my day. She also asked that I list blogs that make me smile. Well' if they are listed on my side bar, that's because they make me smile, but here they are....

Trixie's View - She was the first to post on my blog. So I visited hers and became a regular after that. Check it out and you'll see why.

Somewhere in NJ - Just her rambling about birds, books, bunnies, or whatever! Laura does a fine job of telling us about the neat stuff in her home state.

Dharma Bums - Obsessed with politics . . . in love with the natural world. I'm not much into politics, but I love their view on the natural world.

Ben Cruachan blog - A blog about birds and nature in the land down under. Duncan has a talent for writing and photography.

and last but not least....

Meggie's Stuff - Living life to its fullest, one day at a time in PA. This young lady has a lot of friends and keeps herself busy. There's nothing boring about her.

There are more out there that make me smile, but this is my list for today.

Click on pictures to enlarge