Returning
May 17, 2011 
One spring following another - I've watched these two return to their familiar nesting ground and pond. He - spends his days tirelessly patrolling..keeping all predators at bay. She - sits hour after hour..day after day warming the eggs in their precious and precarious nest.
It's been a late-coming spring. Trees have been slow to color themselves green. Flowers have been even slower to blossom and bloom. We - persons - have taken a long time to shed our winter coats and skins.
The birds sing.
Oblivious to the cold..the wet..the inclement weather. Unaware that this spring's rhythm doesn't quite rhyme.
The birds sing.
They mate. They nest. They hatch babies. They're not waiting for the right time..the right place..the right moment. It's spring. They trust in their hearts. They trust in their internal compasses as guides.
A practice of returning. Season after season. Year after year.
They say that they mate for life. Through bountiful seasons or bare..through sickness or health..they love and they cherish 'til death do them part.
In the damp. In the grey. In the cold. Theses ugly little ducklings were - just today - hatched. They know nothing of late-coming springs. Only that they will grow..that they will love and mate..and that they - too - will someday hatch cygnets of their own.
The circle of life continues. On..and on.
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Cross-posted over at the Inspiration Studio - where I am a bi-weekly contributor writing about 'practice'.
Reader Comments (31)
Beautiful image, Marcie, lovely spring mood you captured here.
I enjoyed the words which accompany this fine wildlife shot. It is a joyful experience to watch the circle of life continue.
So wonderful that you can watch (and shoot) them and study their habits!
Marcie, this was outstanding! So love your writing. Yet jealous of having these guys within your camera view!
Gorgeous! Thank you for such lovely photography...
Do you live in paradise?
This is a touching photo of the swans with their young Marcie.....your composition and reflections are beautiful.....i also enjoyed your story about them tonight....peter:)
Lovely
le pere surveille pendant que la famille se promene : superbe !
what a lovely family :)
As I learn more about birds, this annual migration cycle intrigues me more. Recently read an article how transient birds die in NY when flying into the sky scrapers at night, when lights are switched off. Impressive numbers involved.
when we lived on the boat, the swan family that came by to get fed every year, well one year one of the baby males grew BIGGER than his father and took over his parents territory, which i thought very very rude, yet quite like a lot of families lol this picture is sooooo beautiful, even tho they do bite hard :)
I love the photo for its dreaming toning Marcie, and as for that circle, we need to go with it
I often wonder if Nature feels the delay of spring as I/we do. Beautiful photo, and thoughts.
Thank you so much for the book recommendation of Sue Monk Kidd's Persephone-Demeter pomegranate story of their travels. I will get it and read it, given how much this archetype of mothering looms in my psyche these days.
What I love most about this photography are the reflections....the patterning back of life.
Oh, this is so lovely and poetic. I especially love water and reflection on it .
I always think that mankind has made complicated what Mother nature makes so simple. We dumb apes have evolved into creatures that are chained from the moment of birth until the moment of death, restricted and governed, forced into a life of slavery until society spits us out when we are too old and frail to be of any use again. Animals do what comes naturally and concentrate on the importance of the family unit, love, nurturing, survival. When it boils down to it, we humans follow the same basic pathway, but with a lot of mines to dodge!
A lovely frame, Marcie, so elegant and exquisitely detailed. Such majestic creatures, and those adorable little tykes must now be cared for and raised. I'm currently watching the webcams in Sidney where my family live in BC, Canada, of a pair of Eagles who have hatched three babies. They are growing daily and it's a wonderful humbling experience to se their progress against the odds. Mother nature, my only Goddess. A superb post, Marcie.
Another serene and beautiful composition, Marcie. I know I can always come here to find a moments peace, visually!
very beautiful theme and reflections
Ha, distant cousins to my yesterday's post. Nice shot of this graceful family.
A very beautiful picture of this happy family!
An adorable family Marcie. Love swan and love more baby swan !
That picture is worth a thousand words, but you did it justice in far fewer than that. Great photo; great observation. Well done, Marcie!
Lovely Marcie, this happy family ;-)))
What a beautiful post. Your words, your photograph, those little duckies. Sweet. Warm. Loving. Thank you for sharing this.
Oh to be a cygnet again with not a care in the world. :) Beautiful wildlife shot Marcie.
Delightful and I love those perfect reflections :-)
Lovely layers in this shot--fantastic!
I almost froze on the spot at the words "They trust in their hearts." Such strong reaction never comes falling out of the sky for no reason... And it's true, I'm doubting my intuition far too much in this process of becoming self-employed. Haha, so yes, the post about Doubt I wrote lately was definitely written to myself :-)
Aww what a great family shot of these swans! Nice!
Oh my goodness Marcie that was such a touching read that it literally moved me to tears. The preciousness of all life, of the cycles is so divine. I wish more people felt and understood that, but I know that wishing for others is futile as each is on their own perfect journey ... it is all about being the change I want to see.
This was such a great read, full of love and wisdom, and the photo a perfect addition!
Very beautiful, Marcie. How can you not love anything in its babyhood! Very well seen and captured.
Sharon