Greensboro Birds

Lincoln Green’s ponds are home to a couple mated pairs of Mute Swans. You’ve seen them and, if you’re anything like me, you’ve been intimidated by their mighty size and serious hiss. (Grunts, on the other hand, may be a positive signal.) Though indeed poetic-looking, the pose you see above, with the swan’s neck curved back and wings half raised, is actually a threat display known as busking. He’s trying to appear larger to freak me out. Works for me—I backed off and cranked up the zoom. Here’s a nice shot of the bulb on the male’s bill; it grows larger during mating season:

Mute Swans are very territorial when nesting, and can be quite aggressive protecting the nest and young. Their wings are believed to be so strong that they can break a person’s arm with one hit, although in truth there is very little evidence to back this claim. Whatever—why take chances? “Respect the swan” is my motto.

Learn more about the Mute Swan at Cornell Lab of Ornithology.