SWAN SONG

It was bitter cold. The thermometer on Wayne’s shop showed a chilly one degree. The snow squeaked under our feet while setting out the goose decoys

After setting the decoys and moving the trucks out of the corn field we settled into the blind for a hot coffee and doughnut breakfast. Not the Hilton, for sure, but the reed blind broke the biting breeze drifting off the ice flowing Snake River.
 We could hear the geese lightly honking on the frozen river, and we all knew it would be mid-morning before they warmed up enough to fly to the fields.
 About ten in the morning we heard a strange goose honk.
“Some coming off the river,” Wayne whispered, making his way to his gun.
Jimmy was craning his neck around the blind brush trying to see where the funny honking geese were flying.
 “Swans!” we all whispered in unison.
Two big Trumpeter Swans lumbered their way out of the frozen river and over the corn fields making a funny sounding peeping honk.
“Man, that’s a high pitch sound… like a snow goose,” I thought to myself while enjoying watching the huge birds circle the field next to ours.
 Snow Goose! Around my neck was a snow goose call I was hoping to call in speckle belly geese.
 I dug in my shirt and pulled out the white call.
“Per-peep, Per-peep,” I tried my best to sound like the swans.
The two swans immediately answered me back. I kept on the call, doing my best to make the same sounds the swans were making.
They cruised directly toward our field and then over our goose decoys. As they passed over the blind they made a purring sound. I rolled my tongue in the call and the big birds locked wings in a long glide.
Peeping and purring into the call I was actually calling to the big white swans.
They made a slow glide right at the blind. We crouched low to not spook them, and the big birds came head on drifting over the blind so close it seemed we could reach up and touch them.
 The wind buzzed in their wing feathers as they soared over and made a tight turn.
I purred and peeped in the call and the big white birds gracefully settled into the snow just outside our goose decoys.
 We were stunned. This is the first time we have ever landed swans in our Canada goose decoys. We crouched low and enjoyed the amazing sight.
The big birds strutted around the field until Jimmy had to leave for work. As soon as he stepped out of the blind they peeped their way off into the distance.
We hi-fived ourselves at such a wonderful experience, and I now have the brag of being able to speak Swan!