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After 4 months, the cygnet attacked and injured by a Crow has now turned out to be the leader of the cygnets.
"Gluey" takes after his Dad and is the biggest of the brood, he had his head wound treated and glued together as a tiny cygnet at just a few days old.
I expect he will become Squadron leader when the cygnets start flying sorties around the town.
He was Mummy's boy at one stage, being carried around by Penny. It rather proves the point that it is worth saving an individual injured bird,
you never know what they will ultimately achieve !
Once again a Big Thank You from the River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust to Paul Thomson the Manager of Nairn King street Co-op Store, the Staff and Shoppers for more Donations of £207-70.
This brings the Total given by Nairn Shoppers this year to £541-64.
This money is used exclusively for the welfare of the River Nairn Water birds their habitat and environment.
No trustee receives any payment, since all trustees are voluntary contributors.
The Trust spends over £2500 a year on the birds welfare, and the Co-op sum will go a long way to helping with it's commitments.
Right now we are caring for 19 ducklings and a mother duck, as well as feeding and caring for the swans cygnets, and river ducks.
The cygnet that was recently attacked and injured by a crow has made a full recovery, as can be seen here on Mum's back yesterday !
Thank you Nairn King st Co-op Shoppers !
With the cygnets under constant attack from a particular crow, we almost lost another today, but for Good Samaritans who did not pass by.
Jimmy and Kay Young witnessed Popeye trying to protect the cygnet after the attack, then chasing the crow as it headed to the swans nest again ! This left the cygnet alone at the neck of the moat and open to attack. Jimmy and Kay stepped in and sheltered the cygnet while they sent for my assistance. I was glad they did because the cygnet had an injury to the head that needed medical attention.
Jimmy and Kay were kind enough to run me and the cygnet to Moray coast vets where it was given antibiotics, and the gash on the head sealed with surgical glue.
We then returned to the river where I put the cygnet back to Penny on the nest,
she readily accepted the cygnet but gave me a hiss all the same !
Later this afternoon I got a chance to check the nest since she brought all 7 cygnets into the water, there was one remaining cracked bad egg which I removed.
This was a necessary procedure so that she would not continue to sit on it, thus depriving the cygnets of much needed attention. There was a clutch of 10 originally, but with only seven alive and one bad egg - this means that the crows must have killed two cygnets.
I checked the injured cygnet this afternoon and evening, it seems none the worse for it's ordeal at the hands of the crow, me and the vet ! The cygnet is the one with the dent on the right side of the head . The sequence of Pics tells the story. My thanks to Moray coast vets and Jimmy and Kay for taking some photos of the drama on display.
