Swans Best Year Ever

With a new season on it's way, I thought a pictorial showing our Swans Best ever year on the river - 2011.

Popeye and Penny are now approx 12 years old, and don't know if they will ever again achieve the fabulous brood of 2011, which was 9 cygnets all reared to maturity.

Enjoy some of the pics that made it a special year for me as well as for them. It was the first year ever that Popeye carried cygnets on his back, this was always down to Penny in previous years ! 

It was also the year that I took one of the cygnets home for a week to correct a condition called "Angel wing".

This was a great success and I returned "Lefty" to the family after 6 days. 

I hope more of you out there will join the River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust, to ensure that these beautiful birds will forever grace our River.

Angel Wing

A few days ago I noticed one of the cygnets appears to be developing a condition called "Angel wing". At first glance it just looks like the new feathers protruding on the wings due to their rapid growth rate, nothing unusual there since they are growing so fast. However having seen and cured angel wing on a duck last year, I thought I better get it checked out just in case. I took a series of photo's and sent them to Claire my vet, and also to Sue my avian adviser down in Wiltshire. Both seem to think it could well be the start of Angel wing ! This creates quite a serious problem, and I will have to make a decision within days as to what course of action I'm going to take. My dilemma is this, if I do nothing and let the condition develop, the cygnet will never be able to fly and will be attacked and maybe killed by the parents when the time comes for them to leave home. If I treat the cygnet successfully which might take up to 10 days away from the family, then the parents might reject the cygnet when I return it to the river ! It's a tough call and a case of the lesser of two evils I think. The advantage of treating it means it will probably be able to fly and will survive even if it means starting alone in loch flemington or some other sanctuary. Not fixing it will leave me guilt ridden knowing I discovered the problem and did'nt act on it ! On vets advice I will monitor it for a couple of days and see if the wing settles down, I sincerely hope it does !