Dead Swan on Chesterfield Canal

[noddyboater]

We’ve had an adult swan hanging around at Clarborough near Retford for most of the year, it liked to sit on the towpath and greet you but wasn’t aggressive. 

It was found yesterday lunchtime by the Gate Inn, dead with a broken neck. No signs of a scrap with an animal, not even any feathers lying around so I’m assuming the worst. 

Keep your eyes open for any suspicious activity if you’re local to the canal please. 

[Jerra]

5 hours ago, noddyboater said:

We’ve had an adult swan hanging around at Clarborough near Retford for most of the year, it liked to sit on the towpath and greet you but wasn’t aggressive. 

It was found yesterday lunchtime by the Gate Inn, dead with a broken neck. No signs of a scrap with an animal, not even any feathers lying around so I’m assuming the worst. 

Keep your eyes open for any suspicious activity if you’re local to the canal please. 

Were there any overhead cables/wires it is a fairly common cause of death in swans if they don't see them.

[cuthound]

18 minutes ago, Jerra said:

Were there any overhead cables/wires it is a fairly common cause of death in swans if they don't see them.

 

Indeed, we have some 415 volt cables running across the canal near us, and about once every 3 years, one of the that years batch of adolescent cygnets will fly into them as they learn to fly.

 

Since we have lived here the results have never been fatal, the cygnet is usually stunned, and falls to the ground unconcious, but recovers in a minute or two with a valuable lesson learned.

[matty40s]

The swans near us start to chase the young ones away come September, sometimes they mis-judge the A5 bridge whilst taking off on a bend, and several have had the surprise of meeting the side of a passing lorry!!!!

Most survive...

[noddyboater]

2 hours ago, Jerra said:

Were there any overhead cables/wires it is a fairly common cause of death in swans if they don't see them.

Not in this case although it does happen in this area frequently. Nothing overhead and on a tight bend just before a bridge so not the sort of place for a take off or landing incident. The lack of any dislodged feathers lying around the area is a bit of a mystery, definitely not a dog attack. 

[Jerra]

6 minutes ago, noddyboater said:

Not in this case although it does happen in this area frequently. Nothing overhead and on a tight bend just before a bridge so not the sort of place for a take off or landing incident. The lack of any dislodged feathers lying around the area is a bit of a mystery, definitely not a dog attack. 

Very strange in that case.

[noddyboater]

Unfortunately I still think it’s more likely to be some local brain dead scrote rather than anything animal related. Even pleasant canalside villages have their fair share of them, and most around here are old enough to know better.

[TheBiscuits]

3 hours ago, matty40s said:

The swans near us start to chase the young ones away come September, sometimes they mis-judge the A5 bridge whilst taking off on a bend, and several have had the surprise of meeting the side of a passing lorry!!!!

Most survive...

Yeah, lorries are surprisingly tough to kill ...

[noddyboater]

Another one today, 100 yards from the last. Maybe coincidence, this one had definitely been mauled by something and more or less picked clean. Does seem odd though, nothing in three years then 2 in a week. 

[Mike Hurley]

Foxes maybe?

[WotEver]

1 hour ago, Mike Hurley said:

Foxes maybe?

The second one certainly looks like a fox has feasted.  

[AWETHEAYET]

I'm not normally a snowflake but poor buggers

[Machpoint005]

On 16/12/2019 at 20:07, noddyboater said:

Unfortunately I still think it’s more likely to be some local brain dead scrote rather than anything animal related.

 

Fortunatsly what you imagine may have little to do with the facts.

 

Swans die all the time, and it's just as well, or we would be overrun with the monsters doing Pavlova impressions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2019 by Machpoint005
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[AWETHEAYET]

Anyone see phyco swan at Elland this year, bless him, didn't matter how big ya boat he was having it ?

[pete23]

Wednesdays lunch sorted!

[AWETHEAYET]

Phyco will enjoy you on Wednesday pete

[noddyboater]

9 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

Fortunatsly what you imagine may have little to do with the facts.

 

Swans die all the time, and it's just as well, or we would be overrun with the monsters doing Pavlova impressions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Would you like to offer an explanation for the broken neck then? Assuming natural causes as you imply, did it over reach pecking a piece of bread on the towpath?  Maybe stretched too far trying to scratch it’s arse?  

I’ve never had the need to break a swans neck, but I’d guess it’s not that easy. 

[Boater Sam]

It doesn't happen often enough to the pesky Canada Geese. I would like to see a lot less of these birds. We can't even legally shoot them anymore since they went on the protected list for some daft reason. But they were introduced as a game bird, another total failure.

[tree monkey]

7 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

It doesn't happen often enough to the pesky Canada Geese. I would like to see a lot less of these birds. We can't even legally shoot them anymore since they went on the protected list for some daft reason. But they were introduced as a game bird, another total failure.

No more protected than any other bird and all is needed is a licence, I am aware natural England upset the hunters and farmers by removing the general licence recently but as long as you have justification and are the landowner

 

https://www.pitchcare.com/news-media/canada-geese.html

 

They can still be shot for hunting purposes as long as a licence is in place

 

[Arthur Marshall]

8 hours ago, noddyboater said:

Would you like to offer an explanation for the broken neck then? Assuming natural causes as you imply, did it over reach pecking a piece of bread on the towpath?  Maybe stretched too far trying to scratch it’s arse?  

I’ve never had the need to break a swans neck, but I’d guess it’s not that easy. 

Isn't that how foxes and dogs kill things? Grab them by the neck and shake?

 

[noddyboater]

Yes it can be but if you look at the first photo there’s no sign of trauma at all. That’s the mystery, a very broken neck but hardly a disturbed feather. 

[GUMPY]

In the great scheme of things the death of a swan doesn't even create a ripple in the pond of life.