On a cold and blustery day...


A small opening in the ice on Rondeau Bay resulted in two tundra swans coming close to shore.
The wind was strong causing waves in the small open area.

Cygnus columbianus
Tundra Swans wintering in Chesapeake Bay feed almost exclusively on clams that they dislodge from the mud. But it can be challenging to enjoy a peaceful meal: often the swan has to fend off a Ring-billed, Herring, or Greater Black-backed gull that swoops in to grab a clam from the swan’s bill—a successful tactic in about half of these “kleptoparasitic” encounters.

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