Cygnets Under Attack !

Having killed around 50 ducklings in the river so far, the crows have now also killed a cygnet earlier today! Eye witness accounts told me the crow was jumping around the nest area and eventually made a successful grab for a newly hatched cygnet, killing it at the base of the island. 

Penny was still hatching her clutch and could not move, and Popeye the cob was limited with his reach. I am still surprised that the crow got so close to the nest during the hatching. These crows are causing a huge amount of carnage on the riverside, and are becoming ever more skilled as time goes by. Having retrieved the dead cygnet I was surprised by the size and weight, and the crow could not have flown off with it. No wonder tiny ducklings don't stand a chance with these predators.

The River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust will have to see what action we can take to combat this destructive menace. 

The swans hatching is still in progress, but the windy weather is very  much in the crows favour.

 While retrieving the dead cygnet, I took the opportunity of taking a few pics and short video of the nest site below,  enjoy !

Cygnet Killed

Tragedy has struck our Swan family this morning after one of our cygnets crashed and died. A local resident reported seeing one cygnet flying up river and circling  to return to the family, it was at this point the cygnet most likely hit a telephone line at the top of Broadhill and crashed into the side of a house.

Earlier I had searched along the beach and harbour area looking for the missing cygnet, but was then told by a resident of Dunbar avenue, that they had found the dead cygnet at the back of their house. 
This is truly sad and of course avoidable, if BT had put bird diverters on their lines. This is another case of human activity being responsible for the tragedy. I have emailed BT asking for bird diverters to be put on the lines so the birds have a chance, these lines right at the highest point of Broadhill are lethal to Swans who will not see them in time to avoid a collision.

This is the most dangerous time for cygnets learning to fly, they have to learn how to use the wind and avoid hazards - assuming they can see them !