As I was observing two Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) last Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, a loud boat passed by and scared the two swans. I managed to capture some action shots of one of the swans as it was taking off.
Some waterbirds can lift off directly from the water, while others need to run across the surface of the water to generate some momentum before they can take off. The tundra swan seems to be in the latter group. As you can see from the splashes in the water in some of the photos, the swan was bouncing along as it flapped its impressively large wings. In the final photo, the swan was in the air and was able to retract its feet into a more aerodynamic position.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I really enjoy this sequence of the water splashes as the swan takes off. Great captures!
Thanks, Nicole.
Nice series of the Swan’s takeoff! Sometimes when they takeoff they make quite a racket also! And always fun to see & photograph!