The mornings have been chilly the past few weeks, but that doesn’t stop Debbie Jarve from taking her morning bike ride. She said she was freezing on a recent early bike ride, but was glad when whe came upon these Trumpeter Swans and their Cygnets. It looks like there are five fuzzy little babies, learning the ropes of staying safe on Calumet Lake, located in the Calumet Lions Park. What a treat that was to come across this beautiful little family. Debbie captured those babies perfectly!

If you go on YouTube looking for birding videos and have found a number of them seeming like they’re not quite right or have a mechanical voice narrating them, then today’s video is just what you need to figure out if it is generated by AI or if it’s a video by a real person or group. Badgerland Birding explains how to spot the difference. The lead-in says: “A wave of AI generated backyard bird content has flooded YouTube and gained millions of views. Here's why you shouldn't watch, or be impressed by these videos.”

Trumpeter Swans are so elegant, such a joy to
encounter them. Beautiful photos, thanks for
sharing! Never been to Calumet Lake, but they
are quite common at Seney National Wildlife Refuge
during nesting season. Saw several families of them
last time we visited there. Great to see them
anywhere, as they were critically endangered when
I was a kid (and a beginning birder).
According to the Cornell Ornithology Lab:
“Starting in the 1600s, market hunters and feather
collectors had decimated Trumpeter Swans
populations by the late 1800s. Swan feathers
adorned fashionable hats, women used swan skins
as powder puffs, and the birds’ long flight feathers
were coveted for writing quills. Aggressive
conservation helped the species recover by the
early 2000s.”
Thank goodness we didn’t lose the
Trumpeters forever!

Beautiful pictures....those babies are just
adorable!

I hate AI. Good info on the video...I should watch
it till it's burned into my brain! I am getting
better tho!

I spend way too much time on You Tube. There's a
French singer, named Plumes (that's the name of
the you tube page) who sings and plays guitar for
animals. He is in many zoo settings, and the
animals are so enthralled...they sing and dance,
and when this beast needs soothing...that's where
I go! (sorry...went on a tangent!)

What absolutely beautiful birds! Great pictures!
I've never been to Calumet Lake. I'm going to have
to remedy that.