Roadside shenanigans

The trumpeter swans are back again, and as usual in our part of the delta, prefer the muddiest of fields with a peaceful backdrop of machinery, piles of gravel and construction materials. I walked halfway around their field to a bus stop which local commuters have enhanced with a couple of sturdy office chairs. By standing on a chair and half dangling off the bus stop sign (Good thing no bus stopped for me!), I managed to get a background more to my taste.

Swans and Mount Baker, far away.

The swans don't care about scenery; they see enough of it in their migrations. What they're interested in are the roots left behind after the fall harvest, and the fresh, new sprouts of weeds still hidden in the muck.

Ankle deep in damp mud. On the left, a mallard rests in the shade under a swan's belly.