Autumn temperatures have arrived, and the river levels have risen with recent rainfall. The birds are starting to show their new plumage, and some ducks are already eyeing up their mates for next season.
The cygnets are slowly turning white, and Duke is now ready to fly again after moulting.
This weeks sad news - The pigeon that had been attacked by a cat has died. After 11 days I thought it was recovering well from it's injuries, but it must have had some underlying problem I was unaware of. The fact that it was caught by a cat, was perhaps a clue that it was not well in the first place.
Cygnets are fully grown, and much more independent now. Penny and Duke often let them wander.
Today I thought I would take advantage of the brighter day and get a few Swans eye view shots of the cygnets.
Certainly gives a whole new perspective, and the obvious difference between the big male hogging the camera and the females close by.
I think we have 3 males and 4 females which is a nice family mix.
Some years ago I tried my hand at Movie making with Windows movie maker. I had previously taken up photography with a digital camera as a means of recording and observing the local river wildlife.
By chance I was asked by one of the local children if I could do something to help an injured seagull wandering along my street. I am not particularly fond of gulls as they nest on my roof and can be quite a nuisance, but have no choice but to learn to live with them.
Anyhow I thought I would try and help the injured gull but was not all that hopeful, as one wing was broken in two places, and wings are notoriously difficult to fix.
I did some research and got some advice, and had a go at bandaging the wing as best I could.
After 13 months I successfully rehabbed and released the gull to the wild. Unless you have plenty of time and patience I would not recommend it.
I made a short film which I put on Youtube, and have just learned it has now been viewed over 10,000 times.
This might be of interest to some locals and might change a few minds about what I do regarding care of the local wildlife.
The film is only 6 minutes long, so have a view and see for yourselves on this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuxjNuflsTQ&lc=z22cwjcxkpzce13je04t1aokgjrgje5x1lv1gjahex21bk0h00410&feature=em-comments
Had a quick count of the ducks on the lower river last week. Approximately 172.
This does not take into account others still up river and some in garden ponds around the town.
We had about 45 new surviving ducklings this season, and possibly some still to show up from further afield. We certainly lost 6 females and 3 drakes that I know of. Looks like the numbers will settle at around 200.
Just received a pigeon from a Queenspark resident, it had been caught by a Cat and has severe back injuries.
Have just treated it with antibiotics and anti inflammatory, as well as antibacterial cream on the wound.
Cat bites are notoriously bad for birds, they carry a bacteria which can cause Pasteurella septicaemia which is fatal to birds if untreated.
So far the pigeon is responding well and is eating, time will tell about a full recovery.
Spotted the first flock of Icelandic geese arriving today.
Weather pattern is such that they probably hitched a ride on favourable low pressure winds. They usually arrive around the 22nd of the month, so a trifle earlier this year. Hoping this does not mean a long hard winter !
The Cygnets were spotted flying out along the coast yesterday. I managed to get a few distance shots as they returned with Penny.
They are now 4 months old and made the transition between balls of fluff, to large elegant flying birds. It was noticeable that one of the big male cygnets was in the lead.
They had a short run / fly up the river channel before heading up river.
Duke was still in the river re- growing his new flight feathers, he should be able to join the flights next week.
They are very much a complete and beautiful family of Swans.
Interaction with wildlife is truly inspiring.
The curiosity of the young cygnets trying to get attention at feeding time is heart warming.
They try and communicate by high pitched squeaks and head nodding.
Penny is less concerned about their welfare as they are now fully grown, but she is still on hand....just in case.
After some weeks battling, little Weegie the disabled duckling was put to sleep today. The deformed leg could not be corrected and the position was such it could not survive even under the care of the Trust. It was unable to walk or preen, and could only shuffle on the ground, sadly the vets could do no more and had no choice but to alleviate it's suffering. Letting go is sad, but only ever done as a last resort in the best interests of the bird.
After 16 weeks of good weather, the River is now the lowest level in living memory.
This is the culmination of last winter where we missed much of the snowfall, and a dry spring as well.
The local Angling association has finally called a halt to fishing on the lower reaches of the river, in my opinion something they should have done weeks ago.
The annual Salmon run is in abeyance due to lack of water, and the Salmon are waiting patiently for autumn rain to continue their reproductive spawning journey upstream. Maybe this season will be a write off for the Anglers with only a month of the season left open. However it could be a bonus for future Salmon stocks, and a blessing in disguise !
Meanwhile our Swans and Ducks have enjoyed the best season in years, although the dry river means more walking and less elegant swimming than usual !
The Cygnets have reached the fledging stage, as well their new found audio communication skills.
This morning I heard a large male using a deep grunting noise, and others virtually squeaking.
They had a communication session, with head nodding, eyeballing each other, and much audio output.
Afterwards they found something interesting on the riverbed, up-ending for a close look.
