Mute Swan
Mute Swan A couple weeks ago, I was in Lakeland, FL and saw several Mute Swans in Lake Morton. Make no mistake about it, these are beautiful creatures and a picture of grace. As a photographer, I was delighted to see them and photograph them. I mean, is it possible to take a bad photo of such a beautiful bird? Mute Swan Mute Swan On the other hand, Mute Swans were introduced into the U.S. over a hundred years ago as decorative birds in parks and estates, but escaped swans have now formed breeding populations that are growing in the U.S. They are a non-native, invasive species, and their population growth threatens the habitat for native species of waterfowl. For instance, in the Chesapeake Bay, Mute Swans are depleting submerged aquatic vegetation beds, and this hinders efforts to restore native species that depend on submerged aquatic vegetation. They also compete with other native species for food and resources. Trumpeter Swans Fortunately, we do have two native ...