I grew up in what was then a relatively small regional town in the Australian state of Victoria. It was my never-ending joy to have a large freshwater lake in the very centre of town and it did then (and still does) play home to a huge array of waterbirds including the magnificent and very large black swan. Australia is blessed with the only all black swan on Earth and I never tire of observing their graceful postures and behaviour. It was a treat when I was small to take us kids to the lake to spend time with the swans and it was always a popular request if mum asked what we would like to that today. Now in my 72nd year I am no less fascinated by black swans and frequently return to the lake to study them. Since they are very used to seeing humans, it is easy to approach quite closely, and this male was not bothered by my close study of him as he enjoyed a lazy grooming session in the sun.

Males and females are virtually identical except for size with the male being larger and with brighter colouring on his bill. It is a seasonal privilege to see the nesting adults with a new clutch of fuzzy cream-coloured babies known as cygnets (when I was little, I couldn't say the word cygnets and amused myself and mum by calling them singlets).

This soft pastel painting is one I recently completed and I hope you enjoy his graceful posture as I do. To find out more go to Birdlife Australia's website https://birdlife.org.au/

Pastel on Pastelmat paper