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After nearly 3 weeks away, Duke was delivered back to Nairn today by Animal rescue officer Jamie Cherry of the Scottish SPCA.
Jamie handed me Duke and I carried him over the shingle to Penny who was listening to Duke hollering and desperate to get released.
The sun was blazing down and a perfect day for his return.
When he hit the water she was quick to acknowledge his return and raised her head several times in welcome, he quickly drank from the river after the long journey from Fishcross.
After a brief get together and shake out.
Duke suddenly took off down the river and flew about 100 yards, obviously feeling the need to stretch his wings, he then took off again and flew down to the end of the pier.
Penny took the slow route and swam down to meet him for a proper welcome and bonding session.
This was the moment I was waiting for, and with that... the sea Haar drifted in and enveloped the whole coast line.
However I took a load of photo's and some movie clips. it was a joy to watch ... I have missed out the final mating act to avoid upsetting those with sensitive children. It does look like Duke is up to the job, and Penny can now get on with the nesting season. Enjoy the sequence of shots and clip below !!
Sometimes natural global events come to the fore, perhaps as a reminder that we are not always masters of our own destiny. During debates about consumerism etc, I have often remarked that the only two things we really need to survive is Food and Shelter, everything else we can manage without ! I wonder if the ferocity of the recent Typhoon to hit the Philippines is ultimately down to our consumption of the earths resources ?
Climate change will affect us all one way or another, and will manifest itself in ever more extreme natural events. Having worked my way round the world through 29 countries ending in the Philippines in the 1960s, I can honestly say that they are some of the nicest people on the Planet. Nairn is a Seaside Town and one can only imagine what would happen to Fishertown if hit by a similar natural disaster. The River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust will donate £50 to the Disasters Emergency Committee to help with the food and shelter that is so badly needed. Some images on this BBC LINK.
Once again the Fishertown fly tippers show their civic pride in our River by dumping a mattress, rather than phone the council to have it removed.
I read with interest on the local Gurn that the River Community Council are planning to take over the grass cutting and other civic maintenance tasks like tree planting, pruning etc. With the Gurn, Liz, Colin and Tommy Hogg, who are all sharing the same political bed, this should surely be fairly easy to achieve ? The River community council should represent the WHOLE COMMUNITY in their patch, Party Politics should stay out of it . However many people in Nairn don't see this at all. I also notice there was no mention of picking up litter from the riverside which I and others have been doing for years. The River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust have been given the cold shoulder by the powers that be - of course Swans and ducks don't vote. The current 60 + plus members of the trust most of whom are members of the local community, have put their money where their mouth is and wish to protect and enhance the river wildlife and their environment - they do vote. I recently offered Liz and the region the chance for the Trust to plant some Rowan, Hawthorn and shrubs at two locations on the tidal reaches of the river at no cost to the region. This was refused, WHY ? Quite simply because the local politicians can see some political kudos in doing it themselves. The reason the Trust wanted to do it, was for the benefit of the birds winter food supply, and the enjoyment that the community would get from it. Had we been given permission it would have already been done. I appreciate that some individuals have a personal dislike of me, but this should not interfere with the greater good of the Town, community, wildlife, and environment. For a small Town like Nairn, there is much too much politics, talk and back stabbing, and not enough support and action for those people and organisations that have the well being of the Town at heart ! Time to start sharing the bed equally !
Popeye and Penny are nesting for the 6th year in a row, today they gave me a truly wonderful Swan lake display .
The light was far from perfect, but I was privileged to witness a full mating session, and can see perhaps where Tchaikovsky got inspiration for his music.
The sequence of shots - minus the act of mating tells the story.
Last night I went to the NICE ( Nairn Improvement Community Enterprise ) presentation to the River Community Council in Nairn. Alastair Noble and his colleagues gave a laudable vision of a possible way forward for the Town's future. One aspect that caught my eye was the possible creation of a new Wetlands centre which Naturally I find appealing. I think Nairn would be an excellent venue for such a place, for we already have the river and sea close by, with many species that visit over the course of the year. Having a Wetlands centre would perhaps attract all kinds of birds and tourists, who would enjoy visiting such a place ! Maybe NICE will get enough support to start putting their vision forward, this maybe the best chance in a generation to get Nairn on the path to renewal. It was pointed out that many born and bred in Nairn are against change, this is understandable and to be expected, especially of the older generation. However like getting old, change is inevitable and has to be accepted in the end, though it may take you out of your comfort zone!
A wetlands centre might attract some of the birds shown.
