Winter arrived on the North Slope today. It arrived on the wings of 30+ mph winds. If this is any indication, it will be a long tough winter. It was as though someone turned on a light switch. Sadly, I know that many of the young tundra swans were not ready for the change. The parents will follow there instincts and head south, leaving their young to the mercy of Mother Nature. How painful that must be. You know they must feel the pain as they are a loving creature. They mate for life and will not take on another mate if death should separate them. The loss of their young would be unbearable. Next year, we will look up toward the vast Alaska sky; we will see the pairs of swans return to continue the cycle. It is truly an amazing story in the book of life.
3 comments:
My friend Lola and her hubby just came back from Alaska....they went on land and on the cruise....I sat today at breakfast and looked at her first batch of pictures....200 of them, and she hauled out the other 200 and I requested going to breakfast again to see the second half.....she got a new sony digital camera and took 800 pictures.....and I must say I have never seen a more beautiful place... I'm jealous of her pictures...I told her she should have some of them blown into large photos and frame them....the beauty is unthinkable....I see you captured a beautiful one of the swans.....keep warm my friend.... judy
What? Stupid birds! Why wouldn't they leave ahead of time? Doesn't anybody (zoo) go and rescue the young left behind?
Make a snowball for me and throw it at yourself, okay?
I learned of swans' devotion from all things a fiction book by Anne Rivers Siddons titled "Up Island." It's a good read and the swans play an important part. Such as you mentioned is sad, but is the way of nature. Nature can bring tears of joy and tears of sorry, but it just is what it is.
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