Swan and Ice

Bitterly cold first thing, but worth a walk with the clear skies above.  I went out in search of the local red deer herd, but there was no sign anywhere.  A local fox saw me, before I saw her and was in thick brush before I could even raise the camera to my eye.

I wasn't sure whether the local pool would be frozen. It was, despite this swan using it.  It was interesting to watch the swan use his breast to break the thin layer of ice in front as he tried to move around.  In fact he was so still, I was able to capture a 5 image bracketed shot, without any appreciable ghosting.  His efforts to take off were quite comical, each time he tried to lift himself the ice would crack in front, lowering him into the water and preventing the wings from beating away to cause lift.  He wasn't stupid however, after a while he turned 180 degrees and was able to use the channel of clear water he'd created as a runway to take off.