The Ugly Duckling
A juvenile Mute Swan cygnet, drab brown in appearance and devoid of its parents’ pure white plumage and brilliant Sun-burnt orange bill. However, as Hans Christian Anderson’s famous fairy tale ‘The Ugly Duckling‘ tells us, it’ll only be a matter of time before this youngster blossoms into one of the most beautiful birds on Earth…
*Shot on a Panasonic Lumix G5 16mp micro 4/3 system digital camera using a Panasonic 45-200mm f/4-5.6 G Vario O.I.S. telephoto lens with camera settings at ISO-250, aperture at f/7.1, spot metering mode and an exposure time of 1/400 seconds*
Stretch the Horizon 
The fairy-tale neglects to mention that mute(or white) swans are fiercely territorial and aggressive. I had a fight with one once after having lunch by a lake in a public park. I had to hit it with a loaf of bread. Beautiful birds – but best observed from a distance. 🙂 . They also kill the black-swan cygnets.
Yes, I’ve also been on the receiving end of a Mute Swan’s ire around its cygnets whilst fishing once, which became so bad I had to pack up and leave!