by Judy Lehmberg, BioPics Photography, www.vernelehmberg.com
Emigrant, Montana is the only town between Gardiner, Montana on the north side of the park and Livingston, Montana 52 miles north. It is a small town with one blinking traffic light, one gas station/store, and some beautiful swans. There is a pond next to the west side of the road where every year, for a number of years now, a pair of trumpeter swans have nested and successfully raised babies. They are at it again this year. Some people worried they wouldn’t hang around because the people at the bank, right on the edge of the pond, quit feeding them. Well maybe someone else took up the slack because this weekend they were there, the female sitting on a nest and the male guarding her. I’m not sure when their eggs will hatch because I am not sure when they were laid, but I intend to keep an eye on them and will let you know.
Trumpeter swans were hunted almost to extinction in the early 1900’s for their meat and feathers, for women’s hats. (Can you imagine killing a bird as beautiful and graceful as a swan? I certainly cannot.) But they have made a strong recovery with help from many conservationists. There population appears to be down in Yellowstone, but there are several areas around the park they can be found. One of the most reliable spots is the ponds near the visitor center in Jackson, Wyoming.
We also enjoy the yellow-headed blackbirds in the same pond as the trumpeters. The males spend a lot of time defending territory and chasing females this time of year and I never get tired of watching them and listening to their raucous calls.
Was in Emigrant today, to wash the car and saw one swan – it was beautiful
Beautiful birds. Thank you, Judy.