SWAN LAKE : Here Come the Feathers
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Posted:Jul 26, 2009 2:17 pm
Last Updated:Apr 11, 2010 9:56 am 3556 Views
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Written by Billy
Yesterday morning Maudie planned on catching the #10 bus to work at 9:40 to do some overtime. We agreed that I would go to the park ahead of her by about twenty minutes just in case the swans were at the far end of the lake, where they cant be snapped in close up, and needed to be lured to the gravelled bank before she got there so that no time would be wasted.
It had only fully occurred to us on Friday night that so far, Maudie has not appeared in any of the 'swan' pictures and we'd determined to put that right the next day.
The bus stop is only two minutes stroll from the duck pond and the plan was that Maudie would get there at 9:20. When I arrived at the park just after 9:00 the gate I intended to use was locked and I had to climb in once again.
As it happened the swans and about forty ducks were all lying down on the grassy bank opposite the gravelled one with not a single bird in the water. I roused my best whistle and immediately got the attention of the cob. He stared at me but made no effort to pop into the water and come over to me for his 'daily bread' as he had done so readily before on several occasions.
Now it is possible to get very close up pictures when they're on that bank and I've posted some that were taken there before. But this time there was a bit of a difference ; I had, per Starphysh's instructions, brought along some seeds and nuts from my David's supply of food that he buys for his hamster. In order to know for sure if the swans would take a liking to the hamster food I had to be able to see it on the gravelled bank and how the swans regarded it, had I thrown it in the six inch high grass I couldn't have been sure of their reaction.
Try as I might I just couldn't entice the swans over to where I stood and the only ducks that showed any interest in having some bread were two that had two and three ducklings respectively. I was there about twenty minutes when I heard Maudie calling from outside the locked gate at the top of the hilly path that leads to the pond. I hastened up the hill and told Maudie that she should just catch her bus and that she was missing nothing because the swans were being stubborn and refusing to move their butts.
It was a very nice morning and I decided I'd just hang around and wait as long as it took to get some pictures and test the swansdesire or lack of for the seeds and nuts.
At 9:45 after I'd been there forty-five minutes the pen got to her feet and waddled her way to the edge of the bank and carefully droppedinto the water, soon followed by the with the daddy bringing up the rear. " About faxing time " I thought to myself, before, to my acute disappointment they turned right towards the far end instead of making a beeline straight over to me.
At that point I was sorely tempted to leave but that would have meant having to return the next morning, when I knew the weather forecast for Sunday was dire, to get pictures for the weekly update.
At 9:55, with the swans dunking away to their hearts' content over to my left, I happened to spot a man around my own age heading down the path, in the opposite direction to which we normally come, in double quick time with a full sliced pan in his hand. When he reached where I was standing I said to him " I hate to be the one to tell you but the birds just aren't biting today. " " Do you know why ? " he asked " I have no idea " I told him " I've been here since nine and the gates were still locked at 9:20 so I doubt very much that anyone got here ahead of us. "
Well, no sooner had the man, Damian, shown up than I noticed the swans changing tack and heading directly towards where we stood.
I had brought just three slices of bread and had already fed two of them to the only ducks and ducklings that had shown any interest earlier, but I still had all the other stuff.
When the swans reached the bank Damian threw bread to them in much larger pieces than I generally do and they weren't shy about sending it down their red lanes, the little finks, seems my bread wasn't good enough for them. With Damian supplying enough for the swans to sate on I gave my final slice to the ducks that had joined the swans in the begging ritual. I threw the seeds and nuts on the very edge of the bank in two separate piles about ten feet apart and just as had happened when I put down the green leaves last week, the cob took one nut in his beak and quickly spit it out.
I stayed a further ten minutes and the swans were still devouring Damian's bread but showing absolutely no interest whatsoever in the hamster grub. I took some picturs of Damian feeding the birds and got him to take one of me doing the same.
By the time I'd left several pigeons had gathered around and they were vigilanly stealing in under the cobs watchful eye to snatch a seed or nut before hastily retreating as he snapped at them when he deemed them to be too close. The cygnets, who once again have taken a huge stretch in size from the previous week also did some snapping at the encroaching pigeons where the second pile of seeds lay.
Although the cygnets still dont have any distinct feathers, the first signs of their completely fur coats turning into individual feathers is clearly visible and I'd imagine that the next week will tell a huge tale in the development of their feathers and wings.
As ever I have posted extra pics from yesterday at flickr.
*Username at flickr : BillyBaker2007 or Maudie1950, either one has a link to the other.
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Friday Photo : A Special Hydrangea Bush
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Posted:Jul 24, 2009 8:32 am
Last Updated:Jul 28, 2009 12:12 pm 3616 Views
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This is a hydrangea bush from my back garden which is very dear to my heart because it grew from a cutting I took from favourite aunt's garden in the mid eighties.
I was raised in Aunt Statia's house by my grandparents in the house which she eventually inherited from her parents, my grandparents, until the age of ten.
The original plant was still flourishing the last time I visited the house, now owned by my brother, about four years ago. Unfortunately Aunt Statia passed away in 1991 aged 74.
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Posted:Jul 21, 2009 1:40 am
Last Updated:Apr 11, 2010 9:41 am 3014 Views
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All You Need to Know About Swans
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Posted:Jul 21, 2009 1:36 am
Last Updated:Jul 24, 2009 12:24 pm 3649 Views
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I took this entire article from the Internet, except for the final paragraph :
Mute Swan Habits
Territory. Mute swans which live in Britain, Ireland and France are mainly resident and usually do not travel very far. Some birds leave their breeding territories and gather together in small winter flocks on nearby lakes and estuaries. Mute swans in some parts of Germany and Scandinavia migrate from their inland breeding lakes to spend the winter along the Baltic coasts, where the weather is less severe. The distance the swans have to fly depends on how cold the winter is. In milder winters, the birds may stay on their breeding lakes, the movement of their paddling feet preventing the water from freezing over.
The male mute swan, known as the cob, fiercely defends the territory that he and his mate, the pen, share . If an intruder, such as another male swan, dares to invade his terrritory he uses a threat posture, raising his wings and back feathers, while lowering his head and moving powerfully through the water. This display usually frightens away the intruder.
Food and feeding. An adult swan eats about 4kg of aquatic vegetation every day. It reaches these underwater plants by plunging its long neck into the water, or 'upending', tail in the air. To help with the digestion of these plants in its gizzard, or second stomach, the swan swallows grit which grinds up the food.
As well as eating water plants, the swan may also graze on grasses and grains it finds in fields of cereal crops. Sometimes it may eat small fish, frogs and insects. Swans in parks enjoy bread offered by human visitors - in fact, bread is often the main part of these swans' diet.
Breeding. Mute swans pair for life and they mate and begin buiding a nest in March and April. The nest is built on the ground, near to water, in an undisturbed place.
The cob collects reeds and sticks, bringing them to the female so she can arrange them. The nest is often a very big platform-like structure, and may be the pair's old nest which has been rebuilt and used year after year. Although the cob and pen look very similar at first glance, they can be told apart by looking at their beaks. In the spring and summer the cob's bill is a brighter colour than the pen's, and the black knob is more bulbous. The cob is never far from his mate on the nest, keeping an eye out for intruders. If a potential predator gets too close, he will hiss at them (mute swans are quiet birds on the whole, but are not really mute!) and if necessary will charge at them with flapping wings - a swan is capable of breaking a human's arm or leg with his strong wings.
The pen lays 5 - 8 large, greenish-brown eggs, one every two days. She does most of the incubation, which starts as soon as the last egg has been laid. This allows all the young to hatch at the same time, after 36 days. Soon after hatching, the young swans, called cygnets, covered with fluffy, grey down, leave the nest. Their parents pull up water plants for them to eat, and they snap up invertebrates (minibeasts) from the surface of the water.
The cygnets stay with their parents until the next winter by which time they are losing the brown plumage that replaced the grey down. It will be a full year before they are completely white, and they are ready to breed when they are three or four years old.
Mute Swans and Man
For centuries, mute swans were known as 'birds royal' because only the king or a few specially favoured subjects could keep them. They were often served up, roasted, at banquets - a roast swan must have required a very large plate!
Flight feathers from the female swan were used as writing implements then known as 'pen quills' and later as 'quill pens', until the 'quill' was left out and only the word 'pen' remained. So our present-day ballpoints etc. take their name from the female swan!
Over the last 30 - 40 years, the mute swan population has fluctuated. Many swans living on rivers where coarse fishing is popular died because they were swallowing lead fishing weights with their food. Lead is very poisonous. A short time ago, fishermen were banned from using lead, so the swan population is now recovering. Another hazard for swans is carelessly discarded fish hooks and lengths of nylon fishing line - both can cause a swan to suffer a painful death.
I read elsewhere that swans in the wild seldom live for more than seven years, but those resident in parks and built up areas can survive for up to fifty years.
There are dozens of pictures of the swan family that Billy and me have been following since the eggs were laid, at flickr. Usernames given above.
The picture shows Billy and Teresa at the mute swan sanctuary , simply called "The Swans, in Bray County Wicklow, very close to Robyn's home.
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Swan Lake : Growing Up Fast But Still No Feathers
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Posted:Jul 19, 2009 4:55 am
Last Updated:Jul 24, 2009 12:33 pm 3700 Views
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Written by Billy :
I went to the park alone this morning because Maudie had to go to work. In keeping with a promise I made to Starphysh, I brought some lettuce and cabbage leaves as well as bread.
When I arrived the swans were near the bank at the very far edge of the lake, dunking for freshwater algae, where it is impossible to get close to them.
I cant whistle very well but I still managed to catch their attention from quite away off with a dull shreep. Upon spotting me, they immediately made a beeline towards me for their 'daily bread'. I really think they recognise me now.
As I waited for the swans to get close I fed an eider duck and two of it's ducklings. Later another eider happened into range with three ducklings.
The cygnets are continuing to grow at a rapid rate and seem to double in size from one Sunday to the next, but there are still no clear signs of their furry backs turning into feathers. I'd imagine there will by next Sunday.
One thing I couldn't help but notice was the lack of aggression between the cygnets when a piece of bread landed equidistance between any two of them. The same applies to the parents.
Contrast that with the quite vicious belligerence exhibited by the ducks, both adult and junior, when a piece thrown lands close to more than one of them. The swan really is a magnificently graceful and dignified creature. It's such a pleasure to have such ready access to them all year round.
The green leaves I brought were totally ignored after the cob took a bite from the lettuce and quickly spit it into the water.
Later a duck sampled the lettuce but also declined to dine on it, likewise a few pigeons. I hope some squirrels came along and ate the leaves, otherwise it will just have become litter.
Next time I'll bring some seeds that my , David, feeds his hamster on, unless some expert on birds tells me that would not be the right thing to do.
As usual, I can only post one picture here but I will upload several more at Maudie's flickr pages.
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Test post
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Posted:Jul 19, 2009 4:11 am
Last Updated:Apr 11, 2010 9:41 am 2942 Views
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Swan Lake : Final Update
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Posted:Jul 12, 2009 2:18 pm
Last Updated:Jul 24, 2009 12:38 pm 3211 Views
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Maudie is not in the mood for visiting SFF at the moment. She has become somewhat disillusioned with the situation here and is taking a sabbatical. Whether she'll ever feel like returning remains to be seen.
In the meantime, I am winding up the Swan Blog Series in her handle and this will be the final update, and even then, only because of a remarkable incident I witnessed this morning.
I went to the park at 11:30 and went directly to the lake. The five swans were near to the gravelled bank as a polish man, Josef, and his ten year-old , Michel fed bread to all the the birds.
Our fellow member Starphysh, in the interest of their health, has recommended that I bring food other than white bread to feed the swans and ducks, but I have to admit that on this occasion I forgot to bring food of any sort, so the 'trial' with lettuce or other such stuff must wait until my next sortie.
I had taken six close up pictures of the swan family from different angles as Josef and Michel tossed the bread towards them and I had just turned away to carry on through to the cricket grounds, there are two, when I heard a barking furiously, I looked back and then gazed in amazement as a light brown pomeranian snarled at the male swan from very close quarters.
The provocation caused the cob to rise up in the air to his full height of about four feet and vigorously flap his outspread wings
in aggression. The soon backed off, as rightly it should have, and the bird didn't retreat an inch until the dog's owner, Jim, had taken it completely out of view.
I followed Jim and got talking to him. He was a lovely, friendly man, and he told me his name and the dog's name, Skippy.
Skippy is a three year-old male and, according to Jim, is about as passive as a mutt can be , seems he just got excited because he'd never seen a cob at such close quarters before.
Jim hadn't seen the swan family previously to today, so I told him that he could follow their progress since day one on flickr and I gave him all the relevant information needed to gain entry to that site and access the pictures.
The picture I posted shows the cob and Skippy after the aggression of the initial showdown had subsided.
There are several pictures of thec swans and Skippy at flickr. username needed to access them....Billy Baker 2007 without any spaces.
If any silhouetted members post derogatory comments on this blog they will be deleted. If we can see your face they will be permitted to remain.
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