Just a quick nature observation

CHRISTINE KAPLER via flickr photo share.

Final approach, full flaps, landing gear down.

Trumpeter swans often stop in Southcentral Alaska on their way to more southern climes for the winter. Several photographs of them have shown up recently on the Facebook page Birds of Alaska. A few of the images captured the interesting way these huge birds apply the landing brakes when they hit the water.

The trumpeter swan according to Wikipedia is the heaviest bird native to North America with males weighing as much as 30 pounds. Keep that in mind and then consider them landing from a flight. That's a lot of weight in motion to hit the water with and unless you have been lucky enough and close enough to see one land on water, you might miss the actual mechanics of their landing. Picture a jet landing on an aircraft carrier and you might get the idea of forces, at least to scale, involved in this.

What is obvious in the photographs is that as the swan approaches the landing, he puts his legs well forward under the breast with the webbed feet spread in a wide water-shoving position. The feet hit first, pushing against the water, raising a small wave and slowing the big bird until its breast hits the water – swan brakes like a cartoon coyote screeching to a quick halt.

Now I wonder if all waterfowl land the same way. Over the years there have been quite a few humorous photos and videos of birds crash landing in water, so it's likely not all of them know this neat trick the swans have developed.

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A NOTE: I'd like to pass some acknowledgement of sorts to two frequent contributors to Birds of Alaska, Ian Reid and Harvey Mann. I sent messages to both requesting permission to use their photographs to illustrate this post. Neither had the courtesy to respond even with a refusal. Thank you both, you are great Alaskans. The thing is I could have used their images anyway and they probably never would have known.

Oh no! Swans!