The Trumpet of the Swan

We had a pair of trumpeter swans visit our pond.  It seems that they were interested in meeting Nick's duck.  They stayed for about an hour.  They really do sound amazingly like trumpets. 

The two swans were tired from the long flight.  They were glad to be down out of the sky.  They paddled slowly about and then began feeding, thrusting their necks into the shallow water and pulling roots and plants from the bottom.  Everything about the swans was white except their bills and their feet; these were black.  They carried their heads high.  The pond seemed a different place because of their arrival.
The life of a swan must be a very pleasant and interesting life.
-The Trumpet of the Swan
by EB White