(Mid-January) Winter clouds thickened above and darkness fell before I made my last stop around the lagoon to make sure all the swans were fine.

Mama and Papa Swan in all their snowy whiteness stood out like beacons in the winter night. staying close to one another with those quiet little assuring bleats swan pairs use to communicate

It didn’t take long to note they had found something VERY interesting in the lagoon, as the two long necks disappeared into the black waters. The trees uprooted in the most recent storm must have released a bounty of “snacks” that put Mama and Papa in swan-paradise, and they went at their task with unbridled enthusiasm.

Papa Swan has never been one for half-measures, and in his determination to really get to the bottom of things, he upended, and stayed upside-down for at least a minute. With the wrong half of a swan pointing skyward and a camera in my hand, how could I resist?