Tundra and Trumpeter Swans may stop over in Banff NP when heading north to their breeding ground and or when they are heading south for the winter. Most of the times it’s rare to see them up close in the park, let alone both species together close by. In my case one of each swan was about 50 meters away, with them above the water I was able to clearly see the size difference. It can get difficult when they are in the water, even with the weight difference. An adult tundra can weigh up to 14lbs and 30lbs for the trumpeter. I saw them over a few days, they would spend the night and early morning on one side of the valley and the rest of the time on the other. I was watching them for an hour or so, when their head started bobbing in sync, getting ready to fly. When they were taking off they were too close to get both in the frame, but this was my favorite picture with the snow peak in the background.
