One day I was sitting by the small pond that is just south of Cty 24, across the road from the old Hennepin Parks headquarters building (the "Black Barn") near Maple Plain.  I had seen a pair of trumpeters there earlier and I wanted to get some photos of them.  They were there when I arrived but didn't seem to be too bothered by my presence since they hadn't started nesting yet.  

They were moving about the pond together,  quietly "talking" to one another when a pair of Canada geese flew over, circled the pond and landed on the far end, well away from the trumpeters.  The swans didn't like the geese being there at all and immediately ran and flew toward them calling as they went.  The geese quickly decided that there must be a better place to look for a nesting site and quickly left.

Things were quiet then for 10-20 minutes to the point that the female came up onto the shore very close to me while the male stayed on the pond, slowly circling it.  I had gotten some of the pictures I wanted but since I forgot to bring anything but a telephoto lens I couldn't photograph the female because she was too close.  I couldn't go back to my car to get a different lens because I didn't want to disturb her and it was pleasant sitting by her, watching her preen herself so I decided to just stay put.

Then, the male began to get very animated and began flapping his wings, calling and moving about in the pond.  The female also started to show agitation and then I saw another pair of trumpeters coming in to land on the pond, close to where the male was by then.  There was no hesitation by either of the residents, they abruptly attacked the interlopers and soon there were feathers and blood flying about the birds and I couldn't tell who was who.  During the  melee they had moved on-shore and they ended up right in front of me, maybe five or six feet away, in a ferocious battle - it was primordial. They continued to attack each other with their wings and beaks until suddenly one of the newly arrived pair (it had on a neck collar, neither of the residents did) turned away, took to the water and, along with its mate (I guessed) flew away. 

The remaining birds began to preen themselves and did head-bobbing to, I guessed, reassert their bonding.  I was happy that the local pair won the right to their home and I was (and I still am) in awe of the effort they made to protect their small piece of the land.

And now, many years later, I still remember what that pair of swans went through to nest (and they did have a nice size bunch of cygnets that year) and still enjoy seeing trumpeters land on Lake Superior, just down the hill quite near our house.

I want to thank all of you who work with The Trumpeter Swan Society for enabling me, and many others, the pleasure and joy of seeing these magnificent birds.