Deep Preen

Birds, and it seems especially waterfowl, spend a lot of time preening their feathers. I guess a lot of little critters can get into all that fluff and need to be evicted. I imagine that between floating in water and flying through the air, not to mention wind and dust, their feathers need lots of maintenance. I watched this swan for a long time and took lots of photos to get this unique pose. I love the way his neck curls back and allows his head to reach those difficult areas.