An Unlikely Visitor Part One

Jeff and I are settling in to our  quiet life on Camano. The house is becoming a home; most of the unpacking is done and our favorite photos and paintings are gracing the walls. We're finding that there is a lot to do here and are slowly meeting people and building our new community. I love the peacefulness of this place and don't think I'll ever  tire of just staring out the window which I spend a fair amount of time doing !

Monday afternoon I noticed a large dark bird-like shape swimming along just off the beach. As it approached I realized that it was a black swan. It was heading toward the sandbar, an area very popular with hungry wildlife. Folks walking along the beach were as taken as I was and actually got quite close to the bird to take a picture. The swan hung out at the 'bar' all afternoon.

The next day it was back. Same time, same routine: feeding, preening, swimming around. This large bird is not wild. Sibley's book describes it as an "exotic" bird, usually found in parks or private collections. It is about 60 inches long from beak to tail. Again it was feeding for hours.

On Wednesday, we arrived home to see our visitor had attracted people with large nets. Twice they tried to surround it only to have it fly off. I'm not sure who these people were. But I was happy to see that the swan prevailed.

Today was a sunny calm day, and our visitor had returned again.

It fed for hours, preened, and then appeared to take a nap.

I hope this guy stays around for a good while.