Swans

[Ange]

Here's a question for the ornithologists amongst you. We spent last winter on a section of the Leeds & Liverpool canal and grew very familiar with a couple of swans and their six cygnets. We named the male swan Beaky because of his split beak and fed them all out of our boat windows. The cygnets, when we last saw them, were as big as their parents and showing a lot of white feathers.

 

Spring came and Beaky and his missus and the cygnets all disappeared. Then Beaky and missus reappeared with a new batch of babies - the last we saw when we escaped down the Wigan Flight before the L&L closure they had another six well grown cygnets.

 

So what happened to the original six? Do they suddenly get driven off by their previously protective parents and start life afresh somewhere else? I'm just wondering what happened to Beaky's 2009 offspring.

Edited October 3, 2010 by Ange

[Catrin]

Once the cygnets are old enough to fend for themselves the parents tell them that it's time they left the nest. You can sometimes see the cygnets trying to hang around at the beginning of the new season and getting short shrift from the parents, who have got other things on their mind.

 

I sometimes often think that we ought to have something like this in the human world.

Cheers

Cath

[alan_fincher]

I sometimes often think that we ought to have something like this in the human world.

Cheers

Cath

Bloody hell !

 

You are not suggesting we want more "cygnets" are you, dear ?

[Doorman]

Although majestic in flight, these birds can be quite dangerous in the water.

 

Where we used to moor, on the Rufford branch of the L&L, it was a daily exercise to allow our Labrador, Paddy to take a dip in the cut. Little did we know, that a couple of adult swans had set up nest along the bank.

 

One morning, after hearing our Olympic swimmer dive in as usual, the male swan immediately appeared from the camouflaged nest and began attacking our dog with flailing wings. Only for the fact that he is a strong swimmer, the bird may have drowned him! He managed to get back on the bank, whereby the sod followed him up.

 

It was only when my wife balled at it, did the swan retreat. She has that same effect on hire boaters too!

[Catrin]

Bloody hell !

 

You are not suggesting we want more "cygnets" are you, dear ?

It was meant to be a generic thing - there seem to be a lot more 'cygnets' staying in the nest for much longer than they used to. I suppose that in the past kids couldn't wait to get away from the rules and restrictions of home. Now they know they can largely behave as they want to, and live cheaply at their parents' expense.

Love

Cath

[Guest wanted]

'Alan pours himself a large brandy to calm his nerves and celebrates that he misunderstood'

 

I have been told many a time that a swan could break a mans arm, has anybody heard of this actually happening? or is it a rumour spread by the queen to stop us peasants eating her ornaments?

(it worked for the peacocks!)

 

I always get a little sad and proud when I see the young swans leaving the nest after watching them grow up.

[soldthehouse]

I think you,ll find its Pince Philip

[Guest wanted]

I think you,ll find its Pince Philip

 

[Doorman]

It was meant to be a generic thing - there seem to be a lot more 'cygnets' staying in the nest for much longer than they used to. I suppose that in the past kids couldn't wait to get away from the rules and restrictions of home. Now they know they can largely behave as they want to, and live cheaply at their parents' expense.

Love

Cath

 

 

We generally find that our kids live expensively at our expense!

 

'Alan pours himself a large brandy to calm his nerves and celebrates that he misunderstood'

 

I have been told many a time that a swan could break a mans arm, has anybody heard of this actually happening? or is it a rumour spread by the queen to stop us peasants eating her ornaments?

(it worked for the peacocks!)

 

I always get a little sad and proud when I see the young swans leaving the nest after watching them grow up.

 

 

It's a pity The Queen doesn't encourage her many off-spring(parasites)to fly the nest, preferably to another country where they may tolerate such decadent abuse of tax payers money!

 

Sorry M'lady

Edited October 3, 2010 by Doorman

[soldthehouse]

We generally find that our kids live expensively at our expense!

 

 

 

 

It's a pity The Queen doesn't encourage her many off-spring(parasites)to fly the nest, preferably to another country where they may tolerate such decadent abuse of tax payers money!

 

Sorry M'lady

Penthouse suite central London for you,[in the Tower]

[Guest wanted]

Orf with his head!

[Ange]

Once the cygnets are old enough to fend for themselves the parents tell them that it's time they left the nest. You can sometimes see the cygnets trying to hang around at the beginning of the new season and getting short shrift from the parents, who have got other things on their mind.

 

I sometimes often think that we ought to have something like this in the human world.

Cheers

Cath

 

I guessed this was probably the case. It'd be nice to know where the cygnets ended up - they just disappeared.

 

 

Although majestic in flight, these birds can be quite dangerous in the water.

 

Where we used to moor, on the Rufford branch of the L&L, it was a daily exercise to allow our Labrador, Paddy to take a dip in the cut. Little did we know, that a couple of adult swans had set up nest along the bank.

 

One morning, after hearing our Olympic swimmer dive in as usual, the male swan immediately appeared from the camouflaged nest and began attacking our dog with flailing wings. Only for the fact that he is a strong swimmer, the bird may have drowned him! He managed to get back on the bank, whereby the sod followed him up.

 

It was only when my wife balled at it, did the swan retreat. She has that same effect on hire boaters too!

 

They are aggressive buggers aren't they! We witnessed Beaky seeing off a flock of geese that decided to land in the canal near to his brood - they soon took off again when he went for them and he did a great victory dance!

 

We've got a couple of swans near where we're moored at the moment and we always know when someone's walking their dog past the boat because of the hissing (though one Jack Russell, with typical small dog attitude, decided to take the swan on and actually went in the water after it until his owner called him back!)

[Guest]

Dennis hates swans with a passion and will do his best to 'guard' the boat against swan attack with lots of vigorous barking - I suspect that will continue until he gets his first 'nip'.

 

The funny thing is we have a wooden duck that stands about 2.5ft high at home (bought in the Dordogne a couple of years ago) - every now and then he catches it in the corner of his eye and convinced it is another attacking swan reacts the same way...

Edited October 3, 2010 by MJG

[Doorman]

Dennis hates swans with a passion and will do his best to 'guard' the boat against swan attack with lots of vigorous barking - I suspect that will continue until he gets his first 'nip'.

 

The funny thing is we have a wooden duck that stands about 2.5ft high at home (bought in the Dordogne a couple of years ago) - every now and then he catches it in the corner of his eye and convinced it is another attacking swan reacts the same way...

 

I'm convinced that Jack Russels are short sighted creatures. They always seem to pick on larger breed

dogs for a fight!

[Guest]

I'm convinced that Jack Russels are short sighted creatures. They always seem to pick on larger breed

dogs for a fight!

small dog syndrome... bigger the foe the harder they (think they can ) fight.

[Ange]

I'm convinced that Jack Russels are short sighted creatures. They always seem to pick on larger breed

dogs for a fight!

 

SNIP (though one Jack Russell, with typical small dog attitude, decided to take the swan on and actually went in the water after it until his owner called him back!)

 

small dog syndrome... bigger the foe the harder they (think they can ) fight.

 

I'm convinced it's the doggy version of the short person syndrome! They feel they have to compensate for their lack of height by a surfeit of bolsheyness (hmm made up word there that the spell checker definitely doesn't like and offers me Bolshevists as an alternative!)

 

That JRT did see the swan off today though - there was no victory dance from the swan!

[Radiomariner]

It was meant to be a generic thing - there seem to be a lot more 'cygnets' staying in the nest for much longer than they used to. I suppose that in the past kids couldn't wait to get away from the rules and restrictions of home. Now they know they can largely behave as they want to, and live cheaply at their parents' expense.

Love

Cath

 

 

 

I bet that cygnets don't ask their parents for financial( and other) assistance for decades after the have flown the nest!

Edited October 4, 2010 by Radiomariner

[Doorman]

I'm convinced it's the doggy version of the short person syndrome! They feel they have to compensate for their lack of height by a surfeit of bolsheyness (hmm made up word there that the spell checker definitely doesn't like and offers me Bolshevists as an alternative!)

 

 

 

I hope that doesn't apply to me and M'lady, we've been compared to a pair of Hobbits

[Mick and Maggie]

I have been told many a time that a swan could break a man's arm, has anybody heard of this actually happening?

 

No, not unless you trip over one. Swans are all Bluff and Bluster. Years ago I was involved in a bird ringing group. We would from time to time ring the odd swan. We usually went for the young birds as they are the easiest. More often than not, when it came to the adult birds, we were capturing the ones with a problem - like a broken wing, tangled up in fishing line or the odd one with a fishing hook stuck. Once the wings are folded (think Rod Hull and Emu)and they are under your arm it not to difficult to handle them. The very feisty ones we would pop a cloth bag over their head. When they cannot see, they go very quiet.

 

I have a couple of good "bird ringers" stories about catching swans. One involving extracating a springer spaniels ear from an aggressive swan who would not let go. The other involved being faced down and then assulted by a couple of old protective ladies with umbrellas.

 

M and M

[Mac of Cygnet]

Of course a (gaggle, crowd, throng?) of cygnets round my boat always invites comments and picture-taking from gongoozlers, but you wouldn't believe how many anthropomorphists really believe they are attracted because of the picture on the side (and even the name!!!!!)

 

Mac

[matty40s]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matty40s/5065361443/

The Indian Summer never bothered to show it's head in E London, however, the swans were out of force on the lowere Lea. There must have been 80 over a mile stretch.

Edited October 9, 2010 by matty40s

[Ange]

Harsh stuff today when we were walking the Glasson Branch. A cygnet had a fishing line wrapped around it's neck and hooked into it's wing so it was completely unable to feed. We called the RSPCA after being informed by the RSPB that they don't do rescues and they promised to come out. When we walked back quite a long time later the cygnet was still in distress with no signs of rescue.

 

Dave commented that it can't have happened without either the fisherman deliberately targeting the cygnet or being careless in it's presence. The pair of swans had managed to raise 9 well grown cygnets, if no one intervenes that'll be 8.

[koukouvagia]

.....we were capturing the ones with a problem - like a broken wing, tangled up in fishing line or the odd one with a fishing hook stuck. Once the wings are folded (think Rod Hull and Emu)and they are under your arm it not to difficult to handle them. The very feisty ones we would pop a cloth bag over their head. When they cannot see, they go very quiet.

 

 

 

Went down the Wendover Arm yesterday and met this BW chap (don't know his name, I'm afraid). He was carrying a swan in a bag. The swan had had a fish-hook removed and had been given anitbiotics. He asked if we'd seen the swan's mate so that the pair could be re-united. A rather heartening story for once about BW.

Edited October 10, 2010 by koukouvagia

[LEO]

 

Went down the Wendover Arm yesterday and met this BW chap (don't know his name, I'm afraid). He was carrying a swan in a bag. The swan had had a fish-hook removed and had been given anitbiotics. He asked if we'd seen the swan's mate so that the pair could be re-united. A rather heartening story for once about BW.

 

KK,

 

Am I reading this right? - YOU! the Wendover Arm by BOAT!!?.

 

A swan, similarly troubled by a fishing hook featured on the Beeb- (One Show) last week received treatment at St Tiggywinkles - could not have been the same one as that was released on Watermead lake Aylesbury.

 

Leo.

[Doorman]

Of course a (gaggle, crowd, throng?) of cygnets round my boat always invites comments and picture-taking from gongoozlers, but you wouldn't believe how many anthropomorphists really believe they are attracted because of the picture on the side (and even the name!!!!!)

 

Mac

 

After some of the crazy comments we've heard from gongoozlers, I'd believe anything

We're convinced that when they appear (gongoozlers), they have the identical script of questions that have been distributed amongst them all. The same inquiries, similar to; "how do you go on in the winter?" "where do you sleep?" inevitably filter through!

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/matty40s/5065361443/

The Indian Summer never bothered to show it's head in E London, however, the swans were out of force on the lowere Lea. There must have been 80 over a mile stretch.

 

There's a farmer's field adjacent to the Rufford branch of the L&L, where Swans congregate at certain times of the year.

To see them all in flight is quite spectacular!