The Cuyahoga Valley N.P. is Ohio's only national park. Small but full of regulations. And an area which yesterday still was public, today may private with "no trespassing" signs.
A few years ago in 2007 a pair of mute swan was moved in a small marsh within a park. Mute swan is not native in America, so you can't see too many. The marsh was "owned" by Canada gees, who were nesting there for years. The pair of mute swan did tried to take over some goose nest, but the goose had some other idea. There was a few days battle between the swans and the goose, but finaly the goose win the war, and the swans had to built their own nest in an other corner of the marsh. Because in this area even the native swan species are rare, the mute swans was a big attractions. Lot of people did stop to watching them and for taking pictures. So I took a few pictures of them too. Of course I'm not a "Fine Art Photographer", just a simple nobody but here is a few photo wich may be not as bad.



Tis picture was taken at spring when still was a fight between the swan an the goose. Actualy the goose is just out of the frame, and the swan is swimming after the goose, that's why this pose of the swan.
Nikon F6, Sigma 300-800 Fuji Velvia 100 f/8 1/500



I took this one at a rainy day. The water is so shallow over here, the swan actualy standing on a bottom. In other part of the marsh the water is between 2-3 feet deep.
Nikon F6 Sigma 300-800 Fuji Astia 100F f/8 1/250



An early morning shot, right during the sunrise. There's only a little sunshine shows on a reeds in a background yet. I was standing on my knee in a water to get the low angle of view.
Nikon F6 Sigma 300-800 Fuji Velvia 100 push 1EV f/5.6 1/250



And an other shot just a minute or two after the previus one.
Nikon F6 Sigma 300-800 Fuji Velvia 100 push 1EV f/5.6 1/250



The swans have laid about four - five eggs, but I saw only three hatchlings at once. A day or two later already only two were alive, and about a week later only one survived.



But this little fellow on a picture, was grew up and started to learn to fly. Also started to change the brownish feathers to white. They did tried to get ready to migrate to South, but then, a fatal flying accident happened. The young swan did flew against the powerline which runing on the edge of the marsh.
A few weeks later the parents take off at a last time from the water, and never came back.
Nikon F6 Sigma 300-800 Fuji Velvia 50 push 1EV f/6.3 1/160

In the past 40 years this was the only year when any kind of swan did show up on that area.


The pictures are originals, no cropping and no computer manipulatons on them.