Another dead Swan

[peterboat]

Good morning all,

Walking the dog this morning I found another dead Swan. I find about 3-4 a year at this spot I suspect it is because they fly into the bridge or maybe a lorry going over the bridge? It was sad this morning because its partner was trying to get it to move it was loke a human couple in some ways.

When I walked back down the live Swan had moved closer to the other Swans which were getting fed by the local baker but was not eating and kept on going back to its dead partner.

It was very sad and even Taff did not bark at them like normal

 

Peter

[Tigerr]

Has anyone tried eating swan? I understand they are like goose so probably very good eating but I woudfl be interested to hear if anyione knows someone who has actually tried it. Is it still illegal? It seems a real shame to just leave these dead swans to rot.

[MtB]

Has anyone tried eating swan? I understand they are like goose so probably very good eating but I woudfl be interested to hear if anyione knows someone who has actually tried it. Is it still illegal? It seems a real shame to just leave these dead swans to rot.

 

Not a very sensitive response when peterboat is trying to be all touchy feely about the poor swan's bereaved partner.

 

But to answer your question, yes they have. I belive swan was a common meal back in the mists of history leading to the monarchy deciding the commoners were to leave them alone on pain of death or something, forcing us to revert to goose. Then we discovered turkey, a far bigger and easier to farm meal for special occasions like 'Winter Festival' ...

 

No alternative religions were offended in the crafting of this post. (Did you notice?)

 

MtB

[patty-ann]

Swans all belong to "Queenie" so guess not allowed as fodder for commoners.

We had swans at Foxton, 2 adults and 4 almost grown cygnets then 1 adult and 2 cygnets, later in the season the other adult turned up but minus 2 of the cygnets. I often wondered what the story was, whether they had overgrown the nest and eviction orders served but like our teenagers there's some that stop put!. I am interested to go and see whats happened this year. Its sad about the dead one as they mate for life

[MtB]

Swans all belong to "Queenie" so guess not allowed as fodder for commoners.

 

 

I'm reasonably sure it's the other way around, the commoners kept eating them so the monarchy 'protected' them by passing a law to say they owned them, so they could scoff them all themselves.

 

And it's Mute Swans only. There are other types of swans, not owned by the monarchy.

 

A Google will reveal all, no doubt!

 

MtB

[OldGoat]

The don't all belong to "Queenie", some on the Thames do but not others. A lot of silly men dress up in ancient gear, crash about in boats and ring the cygnets.

 

It's called Swan Upping - they don't like it upp'em.

 

I'm sure somebody will be along later to put a more sensible point.

 

It's one of our strange British ceremonies (the procession that is. The upping is done when nobody is looking) and quite pleasant to watch - like Changing The Guard. It doesn't get much publicity; to my mind it makes the whole thing a bit pointless.

 

 

[Athy]

I'm learning. I knew that swans belonged to the Monarchy but didn't know that only mute swans did. Around here we get migrant swans in the winter ,I think they're Hoopers and Bewicks (these are swans, not cars) and tend to spend their winters in the Welney area. You can see dozens of them standing in local fields.

For a report on the flavour of swans, you should ask an east European. Allegedly.

[MtB]

I think there's more to it than even that. It's only the mute swans with 'two nicks' in their beak that belong to the monarchy. This is the point of the 'swan upping', to catch the offspring of the adult swans with two nicks to put the nicks in the cygnets' beaks.

 

You may have noticed the odd pub here and there called the "Swan With Two Nicks" and wondered "WTF?" Now you know....

 

 

MtB

[Phil Ambrose]

Regarding the Swan and cygnets, the male will chase off male cygnets when old enough to fend for themselves and as breeding season nears he will see off the rest. Once the nesting has started woe betide any living thing that gets on his patch and if another swan rocks up its world war 3 on water, fights to the death are common.

Phil

[Mac of Cygnet]

 

I'm reasonably sure it's the other way around, the commoners kept eating them so the monarchy 'protected' them by passing a law to say they owned them, so they could scoff them all themselves.

 

And it's Mute Swans only. There are other types of swans, not owned by the monarchy.

 

A Google will reveal all, no doubt!

 

MtB

 

Does the Queen eat swans? And a Google didn't reveal all - I'm more confused than ever!

[mayalld]

I think there's more to it than even that. It's only the mute swans with 'two nicks' in their beak that belong to the monarchy. This is the point of the 'swan upping', to catch the offspring of the adult swans with two nicks to put the nicks in the cygnets' beaks.

 

You may have noticed the odd pub here and there called the "Swan With Two Nicks" and wondered "WTF?" Now you know....

 

 

MtB

 

Actually, whilst beak marking was been discontinued, two nicks was swans belonging to the Vintners Company, one nick is the Dyers, and all unmarked swans belong to the Queen.

[Naughty Cal]

Swans all belong to "Queenie" so guess not allowed as fodder for commoners.

We had swans at Foxton, 2 adults and 4 almost grown cygnets then 1 adult and 2 cygnets, later in the season the other adult turned up but minus 2 of the cygnets. I often wondered what the story was, whether they had overgrown the nest and eviction orders served but like our teenagers there's some that stop put!. I am interested to go and see whats happened this year. Its sad about the dead one as they mate for life

Really?

[billS]

Phew - It's a good job dead swans happen. The alternative would be the earth imploding under the weight of billions of immortal swans.

[Athy]

Really?

I believe so, yes. Sometimes after one swan dies you'll see its mate swanning (?) around the same area for ages, but always on its own. Somebody I know had one which used to come and stand in his garden by the River Nene every day, after its mate died.

[Tigerr]

Not sure about the mating for life thing - when the male got killed of the pair here a couple of years ago another male just moved in and took over.

[Naughty Cal]

Not sure about the mating for life thing - when the male got killed of the pair here a couple of years ago another male just moved in and took over.

That was my understanding also

[Swallowman]

You may have noticed the odd pub here and there called the "Swan With Two Nicks" and wondered "WTF?" Now you know....

 

 

MtB

 

Not to mention The Swan With Two Necks on the A53 at Blackbrook in Staffordshire. Now that is a good pub if you can afford the prices!

[nbfiresprite]

Swan is “Tough" and tastes of "mud and has a "fishy" after-taste

[Athy]

Not sure about the mating for life thing - when the male got killed of the pair here a couple of years ago another male just moved in and took over.

She'd been seeing him for ages while her husband was flying on business.

[Dyad]

So the queen "owns" them, are they not wild creatures, does she go around and care for her feathered pets or is that the job of her minions.

 

(sarcasm mode off)

 

I thought they mated for life too, until death do us part at least.

[Jerra]

To try to condense the "facts" in the thread.

 

Mute Swans Cygnus olor mate for life but it is not unknown for a swan that has lost its partner to"remary" if young enough.

Like most birds it is illegal to kill them and so unless you are into road kill or eat them alive the chance to eat swan should be rare.

They can live to 25 - 30 years.

 

Marking swans (the reason for swan upping) was not purely the Monarchs privileged. The Mute Swan in England by N F Ticenhurst shows about 70 differing beak markings used in the past.

 

The other three sorts of swan found in the UK are

Black Swan Cygnis atratus -and antibodean escaped from collections.

Whooper Cygnus cygnus winter visitor with a few remaining during the summer and odd breeding records.

Bewick Swan Cygnus columbianus Purely a winter visitor

 

If you find a dead Swan wearing a large coloured "Darvic" ring with letters on reports are welcome send them to Euring via this web page.

[ditchcrawler]

A bit here about eating swan http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4361079.stm

[madcat]

My sympathies are with the chap who made the terrine. If the swan dies of misadventure why not eat it. The police can be very good at wasting their own time.

Not knowing Orkney I cannot comment on the amount of crime .

[PaulJ]

Our local cob had seven offspring and a very alive Mrs a couple of years ago. The rival cob from a bit further up river came visiting one day with his brood of four offspring and Mrs. There was an almighty scrap, our cob beat the crap out of the intruder and then moved into his rivals patch up river complete with new mrs and offspring. His now ex got the hump, went off and left the seven offspring who then went on to move in with their new mum and dad making a brood of eleven!

Watched all this happen, so maybe some swans mate for life but round here they definetley dont.

[madcat]

When are they all appearing on Jeremy Kyle.