FAREWELL DUKE

Sadly I have to report that Duke was put to sleep today. When I picked him up out of the Harbour earlier, he was already on a downhill journey, he was underweight and listless and was not interested in eating at all. I had arranged with the SPCA and Moray coast Vets to give him an examination to determine the best course of action. 

The conclusion was in his best interests to be put to sleep. He had lost his left eye and had other underlying health issues, his ability to survive was untenable.
This was the third time in the 4 years on the river that I had to get him to the Vets. The previous two occasions he was sent to the SPCA centre at Fishcross where he was treated successfully. 

He fathered one brood of seven with Penny in 2018, so some of him lives on. He was one of the friendliest swans ever, and I will miss him.  

Rescued Cygnet Reunited

Moray Coast Veterinary Nurse Michelle, delivers the recovering cygnet to the care of River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust at Nairn Harbour.

The excitement was obvious, as the cygnet spotted Mum and the rest of the family. 

Penny gave me the head nod protocol and I did likewise as I put the cygnet into the water.

The cygnet was delighted to be back on home territory, and after the initial welcome from the siblings it was time for a wash and brush up.

After the ordeal of the operation to remove the fishing hook from it's throat and the stress of separation, it's relief was plain to see. The only worry I now have is the fact that it started picking at the dissolving sutures, 

hopefully it wont succeed in re - opening the wound, a careful daily watch will be needed.

The Trust would like to thank Moray Coast Vets, and The Scottish SPCA, for their assistance.

Cygnet Rescue

Following previous post, a few pics showing the rescue operation on the riverside. 

Joe Telfer Founder of the River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust, assisted by Inspector Anne Shewan of the Scottish SPCA as they examine the injured Cygnet.

After removing a double fly hook from the left side, we attempted to trace the nylon line into the throat. It was obvious there was a hook on the other end, and veterinary surgery would be required.

Penny the Mother was protective and concerned, but Inspector Anne kept her at a distance to avoid her using her wings and injuring her new feather growth. We decided to bag the cygnet and take her to Moray Coast Vets....so far so good !  Photos kindly supplied by Morag Paterson the Trust Secretary. 

Good Samaritans

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.

Poorly Pigeon - UPDATE

Pigeon UPDATE. This afternoon the pigeon had a seizure and died, sadly the virus won this one.  

Yet again we have been fortunate with the good weather this week, and the countdown to the clocks going back is drawing closer. I understand a BT engineer was out having a look at the lethal telephone pole with 7 lines coming off in every direction, 

as yet no action has been taken on this issue.

The cygnets are now eating a variety of food, and have been seen flying by many on a regular basis. The longer nights mean this years ducklings look forward to their daily ration of wheat as winter approaches.

However not everything is sweetness and light, and some birds like humans get sick from a variety of illnesses. This is something I never ever gave much thought to in the past. It's only when you notice a bird acting out of character that you realise something is wrong. Last Sunday was one of those times when I spotted a pigeon puffed up, lethargic, not keen to fly. Throwing it a few grains of wheat, it's response was almost uninterested. I knew from those signs it was unwell, and was able to approach and pick it up.

It was underweight and I decided to take it home to check it out. After consultations with our Trust Avian adviser, and Moray coast vets, as well as a pigeon fancier trust member and the internet - it appears the pigeon might have both a bacterial and virus illness. It's chances of survival are possibly about 30%, much will depend on how well it might resist the virus and build up an immunity to it. The bacterial infection is being tackled with medication, thanks to Paul my pigeon friend for telling me to get it re- hydrated immediately with a solution of water, honey, salt and vinegar. The solution is being drunk copiously and I have no doubt this is keeping the bird alive at present. The bacterial medication seems to be starting to work, and I can only hope this is going to be one of the 30% survivors of this virus. I have managed to save several pigeons over the past year but have also lost a few, must keep honing my TLC skills !

Displaced Squabs

Another call from Moray Coast Vets on behalf of Mr and Mrs Evans who picked up 2 Squabs (young pigeons) at the bottom of a tree. The fierce winds that have been whipping up dust storms over the whole area, must have displaced many young birds blown out of their nests. Pigeons in particular don't have deep nests, they are virtually flat and the gust's today were something else! It was impossible to return these birds to the nest since it couldn't be seen or got at. A quick check on the internet, and a call to Sue our Avian adviser gave me all the info I needed to prepare a liquid feed with syringe and tube.

I will have to feed them every 4 hours a rich mixture since they are fast growing and are usually fed rich milk by the parent. The first feed went ok so far. If it gets too much I will pass them to the Scottish SPCA.
As it happens, Mrs Evans also helped me last year when I treated a duck for parasite infestation. By way of Thanks, I think Mrs Evans also deserves this Year's Membership to the River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust  Welcome aboard !

Meanwhile my other resident pigeon is getting adventurous, and flown into every room in the house, favourite spot is on top of display cabinet.

First Brood Rescued !

It might be the 13th of April, but this was a very lucky day for Nairns first duckling brood. I received a call from Moray Coast Vets this afternoon from one of my regular blog viewers, Helen Wright.

 Helen had seen the mother duck crossing the links with 15 ducklings in tow, being diverted by some children the duck entered the garden of Ryden House when Helen gave me the call.

 When I got there several people had gathered and Helen agreed to help with getting the family into the box. Fortunately the duck knew me, and readily started eating some grain I offered, surrounded by her brood. 

Knowing the key to success was catching the mother first, I managed without any problems, after a bit of chasing around the shrubbery we managed to catch all 15 ducklings and get them into the box with Mum. I have now placed them in the safety of the Aviary, rather than take them to the river where they would certainly perish.

 The weather is not only cold, but more importantly there is no insect life available for the ducklings to eat, in addition the crows and gulls would have them within 24 hours for the same reason, little food available. 

When they are big enough to survive, I will put them into the river. For her compassion, doing the right thing and showing the Wright stuff - pun intended. The River Nairn Swans & Waterfowl trust gives Helen Wright this years membership to the Trust FREE of Charge, Welcome Helen !  Enjoy the pics and short video.

Gull goes to Vet...by Itself !

Yesterday I got a phone call from Moray coast vets , asking if I had room for a couple of seagulls recovering from road accidents. Amazingly a young gull was clipped by a car at the St Ninian road roundabout, and then walked straight to the nearby vet surgery door! Twenty minutes later another adult was hit by a car nearby and both were checked by Claire the local vet. The adult has lost it's balance and keeps falling over, the young one has an injured right leg and is hopping around, however there appears to be no broken bones. Today the adult seems to have improved and not so readily falling over, hopefully it's sense of balance will return completely in a day or two and I can let it go. The young one is too immature to let go yet, and would almost certainly crash land on one leg.

Dog Attacks Swans !

Update for SSPCA.
These were the photos I took this afternoon. She has been bitten on the side as well as the wings. She is still eating and the bleeding seems to have stopped when I saw her this evening.

UPDATE: After a brief inspection this morning , It is obvious I will have to get the SSPCA and get the Pen out to have a closer look at the damage, it looks more serious than I had hoped for.

I am now wondering if this is the same dog that killed a drake in exactly the same spot a few months ago !

Bad news for our Swan Family tonight, they were attacked by a black Labrador around 7pm as told to me by an eye witness - The Pen has been injured. On my usual evening rounds, a lady who lives in a house overlooking the river told me she saw a woman dog walker with a black lab which jumped down the river wall and attacked the Swan family at the side of the river. The Cygnets fled, and the pen fought the dog off but received injuries which I think are to both wings at this stage, I might get a better look tomorrow morning. The Pen is at her most vulnerable this time of the year because she started moulting about 2 weeks ago and is unable to fly, she would have fought to ensure the survival of her cygnets in any case. I saw her in the harbour and took a few shots of her, there is a considerable amount of blood on her back under her wings, and I cant tell if her injuries are only to the wings (which she would have used for defence)or if there are flesh wounds to the back. I phoned my swan injury experts down south for immediate advice. They said that dog bites always result in infection and that I should get antibiotics into her as soon as possible. Because she is with her cygnets it would be too stressful to remove her from them for inspection at the vets. I decided to contact the emergency vet and get antibiotics right away, moray coast vets were good enough to come out to the surgery and give me the appropriate antibiotic. I went down to the harbour where the Swans had retreated for safety, and managed with difficulty to get the pen to take the antibiotic. She always defers to let the cygnets eat all that's going, and only occasionally takes food herself. At the moment she seemed alert and head was not drooping and wings are in correct position, I only hope it is the feather shafts that have been damaged and not the wing flesh or bones. She is the one who teaches the cygnets to fly and it would be a tragedy if she can no longer fly because of this attack !

She will have to be given antibiotics for the next 5 days but if she shows signs of going downhill I will have to catch her and take her for veterinary attention, this would be very traumatic for the whole swan family !

This for me is the last straw regarding the issue of loose dogs around this riverside area. Over the past couple of years I have personally seen dogs on 7 occasions in the river chasing the wildlife. How many have I not seen God only knows ! What I do know is that many ducks have been caught and killed by dogs, witnessed by other people. Only last week a woman told me of a dead duck laying close to the caravan site fence by the bailey bridge. The bottom line is the fact that dogs are predators, and it's quite normal for them to want to chase, catch and kill birds !

The area from the roadbridge to the bailey bridge is only about 300 yards and is home to about 120 ducks , a family of nesting swans, and the only swan nesting site on the river Nairn. The area is also used by a great variety of other species throughout the year. There is no need for dog owners to let their dogs into this part of the river at any time - Period. I will be asking for support from our local river community council and the region, to have signs put round this river area that says, dogs must be kept on leads at all times ! This could have very beneficial effects for all of us, in preventing dog mess from irresponsible dog owners who let their dogs wander freely and mess the paths and river walks. With extendable leads there is no reason to have dogs running freely round this part of the river anyway. It is time we all recognised that the wildlife in this area has to be protected, for it is an asset that Nairn cannot afford to lose !

Another item that would have had a bearing on the dog attack, is also the fact that the very vigilant Swans would not have spotted the danger in time due to the trees growing out of the river walls. These would have hidden the danger until it was too late to take evasive action,

these trees must be removed as soon as possible for they are eroding and undermining the river walls !