Swan Talk or How to Sweet talk a Swan

I had the opportunity to have a chat with my Swan friends in the harbour today. Showing their independence all the cygnets bar one were upriver, so I had a chance to get up close and personal with Penny and Popeye .
Head nod greetings and snorts were the order of the day !

Swan Song - For the Goose.

Got a call from the SSPCA Vets this morning telling me that the Pinkfoot goose had been put to sleep, apparently the break was so bad and infected that it was the kindest thing to do .
Really a shame when a bird gets a shattered wing, basically a death sentence for them. Maybe one day the Wildfowl shooters will get more pleasure from watching them than trying to blast them out of the sky !

Mute Swans (Cygnus olor ) are not as the name suggests devoid of sound. People think they are only capable of grunts and hisses, but if you listen to this short bit of video you will hear quite a variety of sounds which we don't understand, but they do !

Sonny Reincarnation ?

UPDATE: I checked the goose this morning and discovered it has a badly broken right wing. It was beyond my ability to fix it so I phoned the SSPCA and they picked it up about 1 pm.
I did tell the inspector that I would be willing to care for it until the spring and would help with the vets costs if it's at all fixable. They will let me know the Vets opinion.



Still thinking about the tragedy of Sonny's demise, I went down to the harbour as usual to feed the Swans this morning. Incredibly, sitting at the bottom of the harbour steps was a pink footed goose with a damaged wing. It has either been shot by one of the cowboys at Findhorn or hit something, which is highly unlikely. Anyway I tried to approach it to see if I could help. It was having none of it and dived into the harbour and swam underwater for some 8 metres before surfacing. ( I did not realise that geese could swim underwater ! )






Anyway it headed into the river for a short while then back into the harbour where it again climbed onto the steps.


I asked Robert, skipper of the Osprey if he could position his boat against the steps to stop it diving into the the harbour again, and I would try and catch it. He carefully positioned his boat against the steps, but as I stooped to pick it up I slipped and it dived into the small gap at the bow of the boat ! At this point I gave up as it headed into the river and downstream.

I wondered if it would return later in the afternoon. On my return about 3.15pm I could see it sitting on the steps again well above the water line, so it must have returned shortly after I left.

I looked around to see how I could catch it this time. I asked one of the boat owners if they had a net but no luck, so I mooched around until I found a makeshift net. I then struck on the idea of using the Swans as a diversion and barrier, and proceeded to set the trap.






Slowly I went down the steps net in hand and the swans edged closer, the Goose was watching warily as we all closed in. I slowly moved the almost invisible netting closer to the front of the goose until it was inches away and then pounced ! The rest is history as they say !


As I walked up the high street goose in hand, I wondered if poor old Sonny was behind the whole thing ! I put the goose in the garage to roost for the night, and will check it's wing in the morning or get it to the Vet or SSPCA. I am hoping it has no broken bones and that it's purely the flight feathers that are damaged, It could certainly swim underwater and seems pretty strong otherwise.

I put some water, sweetcorn and oats beside it, and was surprised to hear it hissing like a Swan, another thing I didn't know !





Pinkfoot geese migrate from Greenland via Iceland to Scotland for the winter, arriving in October.




On a positive note, I heard from the Procurator fiscals office today that no action will be taken over my run in with the (Punters) canoeists. I am glad that common sense has prevailed and that police time and taxpayers money will not be wasted on trivial pursuits !

Sonny is Dead

They say trouble comes in three's, this past week my central heating was leaking, my computer crashed and was out of action, but worst of all Sonny died today.
After 3 months trying to save Sonny the young seagull, today he finally lost the battle. Over the past week his condition deteriorated and he began to lose interest in his food, he was starting to visit the water bowl more often and drink more. Having stopped the antibiotics 10 days ago I wondered if this was now the down side. I was still giving him the Metacam anti inflammatory which he has been taking for the past couple of months with no apparent side effects. I learned 3 days ago from the Internet that this drug can also affect the kidneys, guilt ridden I stopped giving it to him immediately.


From the start there's no doubt that Sonny was not a well bird, I will never know if he had an inherited illness, been abandoned, or his mother was killed on the road. I was always convinced he was going to make a full recovery, and it looked like he might when he first returned to the river. Watching him trying to integrate with the other young gulls and being rejected and attacked, pained me. I only wish his leg had more time to heal first time round, perhaps he would have survived then.


I realised today that he was labouring and would probably have to be put to sleep, so I made an appointment to see the vet at 4.40 this afternoon. He was drinking copiously from his bowl when I left the house around 2.30pm, Sonny spared me the ordeal, when I returned an hour later he was dead. He may only have been a Seagull, but I will never forget him or the whole experience.


Sonny earlier today.

Swans, Seal, and Salmon for Sonny

The Swans are still mooching around, and I was amused at hookie ( the one that had the hook in) having a nibble at my shoe after I fed them in the harbour. (See video of that and the seal in the river.)

The new Harbour Pontoons are now in place, and I bet the boat owners are already eyeing up who gets what berth !

The Seal continues to fish successfully in the river, and today it ventured above the roadbridge to the head of the Factors pool. Later I saw it again with another fish below the Merryton bridge, and got a little bit of video after it disposed of it. One of these days I will get it actually catching the fish !

I got a bonus Manna from heaven yesterday, in the form of a 12 pound dead salmon ! It was laying ironically enough where Sonny used to sit all the time. It had been pecked a bit around the head and tail but otherwise was intact. I reckon it has been dead for maybe 3 or 4 days, but still fresh enough for Sonny, so I cut up several pounds of steaks and left the rest for the wildlife on the river. Sonny was in his element pecking and swallowing great lumps of salmon, he ate so much he fell forward with the weight of his crop, silly boy! Anyway he continues to progress and is walking without a limp. Claire the Vet told me that the thickened leg joint will be fibrous / scar tissue and is unlikely to disappear for good. I will give him a while longer before putting him on the garage roof for a trial flight.

Salmon Sealed !

The Seal is making full use of the high tides this week to gorge on late running Salmon. I witnessed another kill earlier on tuesday. As usual it was on the far side of the river and even with a zoom not the clarity of shots I would have liked !

The first pic looks like the Seals mouth is open, in fact the lower left side is the tail of the Salmon it has just caught sticking up out of the water !

It only took a few minutes for the Seal to dispose of the fish, and not even the hovering gulls managed to get any. Pics will enlarge.

Having finished the salmon the Seal came closer as if to say "did you get all the pictures ?"

Walking Back to Happiness

See video's below.

Sonny getting out of bed !

After 25 days on antibiotics and lots of TLC and R & R, Sonny seems to be walking at last without a limp. Over the past 3 or 4 days he has been walking normally, even though the foot joint is still swollen. I am hoping his right leg is now strong enough for landing and swimming etc.

He shows no desire to leave my garden, but has jumped up and down a few times flapping his wings as if in preparation for flight. The longer he stays the better for his health, he has plenty of bird company throughout the day to keep him interested.

River Seal Hunt

The young Harbour Seal moved into the river for a spot of fishing yesterday. It was seen travelling at speed by several people between the Bailey and Merryton bridges. I managed to get a few pics of it in the process of chasing a fish which it caught.

Seal Pup or Otter ?

Just after mid-day having just fed the Swans in the Harbour, the Cob gave a quick warning call which alerted me to the presence of what I reckon was a young Seal pup.

I took a few still shots and then tried to video it, was unable to zoom in for some unknown reason ! (see video )

The water was only a couple of feet deep since the tide was out, there was still a bit of mottling on the back of the seal Pup. It was only about 3 feet long so could easily be mistaken for an otter.

Nairn Harbourmaster

I learned today that one of Fishertown's well known characters Alex Taylor passed away last night.
Alex was the part time Harbourmaster for many years and I understand was in poor health in recent times. He was indeed an old salt, and the sea was very much in his blood. He was not a man of many words and his growling gravelly voice was worse than his bite.
For years he enjoyed lifting his few creels in his small boat, and was one of the old man and the sea characters.
Although we did not always see eye to eye, he did have a soft spot for the Swans and ducks, and considered them harbour residents as much as the boats. I remember he actually gave me a loaf once last year to give to the Swans ! He will be missed by many of the locals who enjoyed a bit of a crack with him.

5k Donation

Today when I looked outside to check on Sonny, I saw a carrier bag sitting just inside my gate.

It contained 5 kilos of Aldi carrots !

On behalf of the Swans I would like to thank the mystery benefactor for the 5k donation !

UPDATE: I can reveal that the mystery 5K benefactor is my friend Mr Tan who happened to see the Bargain Carrots in Aldi's. Many of you will know MR TAN from the the Takeaway in the high street. He can be seen running regularly along the links and round the river. Very apt really, Mr Tan the 5k man !

Maybe someone would like to donate a slicer to save my poor old wrists, the hand slicing into 2 mm slices with a knife is time consuming hard work! (labour of love)

They do enjoy their daily carrot rations and are looking really healthy. ( see video )

Sonny Update

Sonny is making very slow progress, and the swollen Foot joint is still apparent. In saying that, he is walking better but it looks like the swollen joint will be a permanent feature. This wont be a problem providing he learns to compensate when walking or landing. The problem is getting him experienced and mature enough to be able to compensate ! If for instance he starts flying again too soon and injures his leg on landing, this will knock him back to square one again !

At the moment he shows no signs of wanting to leave, although there is nothing stopping him except the 5 star service he is currently getting !

A few days ago he had a great time standing in front of the garden fork whilst I shook it, and he cleaned up the worms that came to the surface.

This morning was pretty cold, when I let him out the garage he headed for his drinking trough which was frozen over. The water bowl in the garage was not, so it's obviously warmer in there than outside.

He is getting too damn picky about his food as well, likes cheese, mince, sardines, pilchards, any kind of fresh fish, worms and raw chicken . Tried him with chappie dog food, bread and ham, not keen on any of them.

I think I'm getting too gullible !!

Anyway, a short vid of him enjoying a bath again, he does tend to get mucky since his toilet habits are poor.

Remembrance

What a beautiful early winters day, the clear skies, fresh air and peaceful setting overlooking the links and firth. It was 65 years ago earlier this year when hundreds of young men filled the beaches along the links in training for D-Day. As I looked out across the firth today I wondered how many never came back from the liberation of Europe. I happened to have been born that same year and my Mother often joked that I was born during the battle of the bulge, I was her battle of the bulge ! We all owe that generation a debt of gratitude for the life we enjoy today.

My Father was a coal miner during the war, and my Mother did her bit in a foundry making bomb casings. The whole country was geared up one way or another, to fight against a common enemy.

The scale of wars may have changed, but alas we still have them. It is right that we remember the sacrifice of each generation, and all the young men and women who even today are making the ultimate sacrifice.

Six Month Cygnets

In a weeks time the Cygnets will be 6 months old. They are still about and appear to be here for the winter. For those of you who missed out seeing them when they were about 2 weeks old, a short bit of video as a reminder .

Check out the pair on the mum's back !

Duck Bill Improved

After 2 weeks antibiotic treatment, the diseased duck's bill appears to be stabilised. I dont know whether it will ever get back to normal or if it will stay as is. I will no longer continue with the treatment since the infection spread seems to have ceased. It was a worthwhile exercise and it appears in good health. The photo's show before and after the treatment.

Sonny the Seagull is also improving slightly, but the swollen joint is stubbornly still there. He is happy to lie down much of the time and rest it which is the best thing he can do, I merely provide the a la carte menu and meds. He is very partial to Worms, raw mince and pilchards ! (see vid )

Bonnie Day

What a Bonnie couple of days we've had, and fair lifts the spirits with a bit of sunshine and blue skies. Yesterday about 4pm I saw the masses of geese that Brian mentioned on his http://www.mynairn.com/ blog.

Was the biggest flock i've ever seen, must have been close to a thousand birds in wave after wave heading for their roosting somewhere in the firth.

Today along the riverside I saw a hive of activity from Butterflies and Bees, hard to believe it's nearly November !

Wilson st Fly Tipper Foiled ?

Walking up Harbour St about 4pm, I passed what appears to be a sofa being readied for a dumping in the river ! Right at the entrance to Wilson st, I wonder if the pole in the middle stopped the deed being done ?

Fearing it was going to end up in the river tonight, I walked straight to the council office in the High st to report it. The time was exactly 4.15pm and the office staff phoned to see if it could be uplifted. They were told that the crew finished at 3 pm and that it could'nt be done today !

Chances are it will be in the river by the morning !

We know it's not the councils fault for fly tippers in Wilson st, but not being able to uplift a sofa at 4.15pm mid week is a pretty poor show.

No wonder people get the hump about local government/ councils /paying tax etc.

I'm pretty sure if it's in the river by morning, it will cost more time and effort to remove it than it would have from the street today.

Update: Glad to see no sofa in the river today and thanks to whoever got the thing uplifted !

Scottish Water Video Nasty !

Have just been emailed a link to an interesting video taken by Scottish Water on the perils of disposing of fat down the sink ! I wonder if it was Nairns drains that were the stars ?
http://www.scottishwater.co.uk/portal/page/portal/SWE_PGP_NEWS/SWE_PGE_NEWS/INFO_HUB_CAMP/INFO_CAMP_FAT

I have to say, having dealt with my own septic tank and drainage system for over 25 years. I have some experience in clearing blocked drains due to fat . The interesting thing is that we never ever disposed of fat down the drains but still got blocked drains every few years due to fat ! The reason is quite simply that every time you wash the dishes, or have a bath or take a shower a residue of fat / oil goes down the drain. When this hits the slow colder area of the septic tank inlet, it forms a skin of fat which through time builds up leading to a blockage.
The same thing applies to Scottish waters sewer system except on a much larger scale.
I used to avoid blockages by having an annual rodding session of the drains leading to the septic tank. I would suggest to Scottish water to follow my 25 years experience and do an annual rodding /pressure washing of the drainage system if you want to avoid blockages due to fat !
Nairns fat Problem solved ! (:o)

Staying Over Winter ?

In the last 7 years I have never seen the Nairn cygnets stay with the parents beyond the 6th of October. It looks like this is going to be the first family to over winter in the river. It could be that the 3 week battle with the cob intruder last January, might have some bearing on the family sticking together until this February. It would make very good sense, since any intruder would stand little chance of driving out 10 Swans ! On the other hand maybe they have been too well looked after ! Just to show they do have some level of intelligence , It was interesting to see them walk along the riverside to avoid trying to swim upstream against todays spate! They look in great shape and the cygnets are very attractive in their mottled coats.

Sonny Back in ICU

Having looked carefully at Sonny this morning with the river in Spate and the driech weather forecast, I decided to take him back home for intensive care. With his Swollen leg joint and wet wings unable to get him into the air, it was time to take him home. He put up token resistance but I was able to catch him and carry him back to the garden where he happily relaxed and started to preen his ruffled feathers.

After a nice meal of fresh worms and a bit of haddock laced with cod liver oil, he sat down and watched the pigeons and sparrows pick around the garden.

At 5pm I walked him into the ICU (garage) where he can dry off and get a good nights sleep.

I am hoping to keep him relaxed and well cared for with his regular medicines, until his foot joint returns to somewhere near normal . I cant prevent him flying back if he decides to, but hopefully the 5 star treatment and garden birds will provide enough company to keep him here a while.

Sonny Struggles on

Over the past week the cold damp weather has taken it's toll on Sonny. Today I had to fish him out of the water as he struggled to get onto dry land. His foot joint is badly swollen and looks inflamed or infected or both ! After taking a close up of the joint I emailed it to Clare at the Vets, She suggested another course of antibiotics so have now started treatment yet again.

The short video was 3 days ago, he was much worse today and loathe to put his foot down at all.

Seal Meal ?

With the recent high tides, the Seal has been after the salmon yet again. I took a couple of pics the other day thinking that the seal had bagged a fish. I have to say having put them on the computer I have my doubts. I cant quite make out what it is playing with , The 3 shots I took are just too far away to say exactly what it is ?

Looks like a piece of flat board in the lower pics !

Duck Billed Ugly Pus

Having successfully treated Sonny the Seagull , it looks as though I will try the same treatment on a poor duck which appears to have a very severe infection of it's Bill.

I first noticed the duck a week or two ago, but did not realise that the tip of it's bill was being eaten away with disease until I took a photo and had a close look on the computer. (click on the pic for a close look).

It looks quite shocking, and is affecting the upper and lower parts of it's bill. Considering that the poor duck needs to use it's bill to prod and sift the riverbed for food, I feel compelled to at least have a go and try and arrest the infection. It is a wild duck and otherwise seems healthy enough, how it got such an infection I can only speculate. I know it tends to filter and sift the area close to the merryton bridge, who knows what kind of bacteria it picked up in the process ?

I started it on a course of antibiotics today, so we will see what happens in the coming weeks.

They may be wild creatures but as everyone knows if you had a sick pet bird or animal in the house you would have it treated, I see no difference between wild and domestic in this regard.

Spot the Mink

The Cygnets had another sortie this afternoon. I thought briefly that they were off, but the cob dropped down into the sea and let the pen escort them round the bay. Weather was benign with a light wind when they splashed down and paddled back to the river mouth.

I was standing on the west pier just at the end of the boulder breakwater when the pen started hissing. All the cygnets looked alert when I saw a movement among the boulders below me.

Just 10 feet from the Swans was a Mink staring purposely at the swans, it darted between the boulders but stayed long enough for me to get a pic, hard to see but it is there ! I have seen this mink before when it was almost dark swimming across the river.

It is obviously living among the breakwater boulders, no doubt hunting rats and whatever else it can catch. Mink are real predators and will tackle almost any small animals, fish and birds. The upside is, it probably catches and kills rats in the area , the downside it will kill bird chicks and eat eggs too.

Sonny Sings

Sonny the Seagull is still soldiering on and growing stronger by the day. He is able to fend off attacks and guards his food against other gulls. I am still dispensing his daily dose of metacam, but he still has a slight limp which is likely to be permanent. No matter, the name of the game is to get him mature enough to cope and fend for himself. After a dinner of wafer thin ham and some leftover prawns, he was still singing for more ! (See enclosed vid )

I would ask others not to feed him because we dont want him totally dependent on human handouts. He has to learn to forage around for himself as well !

Love Lessons.

The Cygnets are 5 months old tomorrow, still here and showing more white plumage every day.

Saw them having a short flight down the river today , winds very blustery and a bit too dodgy for any extended stuff around the town.

I am surprised they are still here, but the parents know best and obviously the time is not yet right, perhaps the weather is not settled enough or maybe one of the cygnets is not ready.

It is not unknown for cygnets to stay with the parents until the spring, but I haven't yet seen it on the Nairn, insufficient food supply I think.

Yesterday the parents were giving them some lessons in Love, with a very loving display of closeness and bonding. The cygnets gathered round cheeping and nodding their approval, just beautiful !

Flying Solo

The Cygnets are now all flying solo. They have done several sorties around the bay area watched carefully by the parents. There appears to be one very strong male that always seems to take the lead, maybe a future leader of a big flock. With eight as a starter, I can well imagine other smaller families joining the Nairn cygnets over the next couple of years.

I also took a wee bit of video of the Cygnet that had the hook through it's jaw. As usual it was to the fore when the food was about. I am currently giving them about 4 lbs of carrots a day as well as 2 wholemeal loaves. Divided by 10 it's not as much as it sounds, there is absolutely no food in the river just now.

You can see the swollen jaw on the left, -( it's right jaw.) Lets hope it proves attractive to a future mate !

Cobcord !

For those of you who always seem to miss the Swans taking off and flying, here are a few I took earlier in the year . Am pretty sure the guy who designed Concord got the idea from a Swan !

What power, what grace ! What beauty !

These were last years Cygnets with the Mum Training them !

Now what would you rather have, these gracing the river or canoes with overgrown kids in them ?

Disturbing the peace !

Earlier this evening I had a visit from 2 of our boys in blue. They were very courteous and informed me that I was being cautioned and charged for Breach of the peace on July 23rd !

I had to think quickly what did I do on July the 23rd ? This was apparently for shouting at 4 canoeists on July the 23rd, my response to the constable was, you must be joking!

Apparently no joke, so public enemy No1 has been caught and charged!

Fortunately my memory of the incident came flooding back, and to refresh your memories if you click on this blog entry for July the 23rd you will see why I was shouting ! http://simplysuperbswans.blogspot.com/2009/07/mid-summer-madness.html

In addition to that blog entry, here are another few pics that will explain why I was so annoyed at the so called canoeists !

These people were not canoeing, they were in fact punting with long poles over inches of water, rattling the stones and scaring all the wildlife witless ! I felt obliged to shout on behalf of the wildlife, since they have no voice to shout themselves !

The Countryside act requires canoeists /kayaks etc, to act responsibly. These photos clearly show that they were not acting responsibly. They were not canoeing
in the true sense, you can see the leader standing in the middle of the river with a pole ( he I was told is the one who made the complaint to the police).
They had no regard for the upset to the wildlife using the river at the time, and all the ducks etc, fled from the area.

There is an important issue here, is this a wildlife haven/habitat or not ? If so should canoeists be allowed to chase them from it any time they please ? The Swans nesting island is a haven for ducks and other species of birds too, should the canoes be allowed to disturb them or not ?

The 900 people who signed the petition to stop the canoeists from setting up a slalom in this very spot, are now being given some payback methinks.

The hundreds of people who value and watch the River wildlife on a regular basis can be assured that I will continue to defend the rights of the River Nairn Wildlife, regardless of any trivial watersports enthusiasts.

Perhaps it's time to consider making the area from the roadbridge to the Bailey bridge a designated Town wildlife haven, and priority given to the hundreds of birds who inhabit it ?

To my mind this piece of river is non navigable, and craft of any kind should not be allowed to disturb the Wildlife habitat.

It is common knowledge that this is a wildlife area, the canoeists knew this but persisted in disturbing the peace of the wildlife inhabitants.

There are plenty of areas below the Bailey bridge and round the entire country for the canoeists, they do not need a couple of hundred metres of Nairn wildlife habitat to spoil as well !

I might be calling on the local powers that be, to consider passing a bye law designating the area in question as a wildlife haven to the exclusion of all boating activity.

This might require another petition from the good folk of Nairn yet again.

Training and Education

The Nights are drawing in and the Cygnets departure day draws ever closer. They are flying at some point every day now, and today from the links I saw 6 of them flying in a large circle with the pen coaching them, landing in quite choppy water too. Earlier in the day 2 of the cygnets were doing a courting style display with the hackles up, the Cob was quickly on the scene to put a stop to it. He then gave the whole group a lesson in etiquette with deep grunts and the whole family joined in the conflab ! After that they all had a bath with much flapping and splashing around.

Based on last year the education and training the cob and pen give the cygnets at this time, indicates that they will probably be gone within a week or so.

I find it fascinating to watch them gathering, and carefully listening and watching the parents, learning the skills and etiquette needed to successfully integrate with other swan flocks.

Nature is amazing !

We Have Lift Off !

As I suspected the cygnets are in training for the big day, I was very fortunate to see them having a practice flight in the river today. The conditions were almost perfect, a strong breeze blowing down river, neap tides and the incentive to re - unite with the parents. As I watched from the Bailey bridge, 6 of the cygnets were near the end of the pier and the cob and pen were on their way to the harbour. When they began to disappear from the cygnets view that was moment they decided to rejoin them. They raised their wings and started to run, with a wingspan around 6 feet the UK's largest flying birds take off !

The sequence of photo's tells all !

Those kids watching on the pier wont forget what a sight that was !

Splashdown !

It made my day !

Keep an eye out for practice flights around the town with Mum over the coming week.

Sonny Copies the Cob

I saw further proof today that Sonny is well and truly on his own, and that his mother has either been killed or abandoned him .

He does tend to hang about the same spots but has not integrated into the other seagull nursery areas, I wish he would and maybe learn what seagulls have to learn !

I watched him today when the Swans were around, he watched as the cob started to preen himself, then Sonny started to copy him - surrogate big Mum figure I reckon ! (Check the sequence of 3 photo's.)

I just hope he keeps his distance from the swans, as yet he has little fear and sense, and they could injure him very easily.

I was told that the Pen and cygnets were along the shore in front of the swimming baths yesterday, looks like the flight training has started !

Changed Times

Still waiting on the Cygnets maiden flights, I suspect they have already had a few short lessons and I haven't been around to see them. With neap tides over the next week maybe they will chance a few flights up and down the river, although any high winds will curtail the chances.

I see the goosanders back in the river, and wonder if the change in the riverbed will make a change in the species visiting the place, we'll just have to wait and see. It's so shallow all over the place that the herons will be spoilt for choice fishing spots !

Hard to believe that just 4 and half months ago the cygnets were still in their shells ! See enclosed clip when they were less than a week old !

Now check out this clip 4 months later having a grass feed, just listen to them !

Sonny Soars

Sonny is still on the go down by the river. Today I saw him take off from the water which I worried he was unable to do. I think the metacam is helping a lot and reducing the pain in his foot. He gave me the chance to take a few shots of him flying and then he landed gingerly on the island. He still spends most of the time on his own which is sad, it would be nice if he would go with the other young gulls especially at dusk.

He is looking pretty good and I hope his chances of reaching maturity have improved.

Later in the afternoon he was sitting on his hunkers near the harbour toilets, sensibly keeping out of the blustery winds. I took a short video of him, still limping a bit but enjoying the crabstick and you can see he is looking quite good !

Not so Mute

The Cygnets are fast reaching the maturity point of flight and departure. Today I noticed them arching their wings, from previous experience this is the prelude to the final weeks before leaving the river. They are looking very healthy, and I had a brief chat and head nodding session with them this morning, at one point they all joined in and I captured a bit on video.

They had a good preening session today and look every bit like fully grown swans.

They are known as Mute swans, but they have quite a few snorts grunts and calls at their disposal when required!