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To the casual passer by it may look as though there are only Swans and ducks on the lower River.
However there are other species which also nest and use the riverside as a haven.
Here are some of the species that nest along the tidal area of the river,
another reason why the Trust wants this to be declared a wildlife Sanctuary / Haven.
The daily feed makes for a happy family of Swans and ducks !
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 !
What an Amazing Summer we've had, 4 months and it's still looking good at the start of October. This is even better than 1976 from my recollections. The final count on surviving ducklings this year is 45 so far, I hope we don't get any late surprises like last years Halloween ducklings !
It has been a good year for the river birds, and all down to the good weather.
The Geese are back in sizable numbers, and can be seen and heard daily. Also on the go are 5 goosanders having a gander at the Swans as they came upstream today.
The white duck has also returned for the winter months, after spending most of the summer half a mile away.
The river has been useless for fishing this year, with almost no significant rainfall throughout the summer.
This is the global warming we were all hoping for locally !
This has been a good year for the river waterfowl, the Swans have produced their best ever brood and the surviving ducklings to date number 47, the best year ever ! A combination of factors coming together made all the difference.
The biggest of these was the weather, a cold spring looked like it was going to be a repeat of the last couple of years and the ducks delayed nesting, then the summer arrived. Above average temperatures meant plenty of insect life, short warm nights, and lots of algae and weed growth in the river. It also meant the crows were finished feeding their young before all the ducklings showed up on the river.
Record low water level, and probably the best summer we have had since the 70s, and hopefully it's not over yet.
The recent bad was the death of Faith, the mother duck who lost her Bill. Then the fact that my beautiful woodpigeon Woody has probably been killed by a predator.
It is now 3 weeks since he last came back for his favourite sunflower seeds and lettuce. This means the two wood pigeons that I reared successfully are both gone. He was a remarkable bird that crossed the divide between man and bird, and I miss him a lot.
He survived several months in the wild, and I thought he might be lucky and avoid being killed, even though he was never taught survival by a parent bird.
The lovely, are of course the waterfowl and ducklings in particular,
they are endearing creatures and the more I study them the more interesting they become.
All systems are go on the bird recovery front, the ducklings are doing well and gaining in size and weight, Mum can no longer keep them all underneath her wings. They will soon be too big for the Crows to carry off, and getting them away from their Mother is key to their success. The 13 that hatched in the river less than 72 hours ago, are now down to 6 this morning, they are all likely to disappear with the increased cold weather forecast.
The Swans are still incubating, Popeye is very attentive and as soon as he saw Penny stand up he raced over to the nest. A ten minute break for a wash a drink and a quick bite, while Popeye kept the clutch warm.
Woody and Alan the young wood pigeons are also doing well, and will soon need a bigger shoe box ! Their wings are developing fuller feathers. (short video below.)
Seems we have a new Johnny come lately admirer of our Swans and river wildlife. It's nice to know that the fruits of my many years investment and good river wildlife management, is being recognised by the recently elected SNP councillor Colin MacAuley. I understand he is researching the subject of Swans. If he would like to know all about our Beautiful Swans, he could perhaps start by reading my 700 blog postings on Simply Superb Swans. I'm sure he would learn a great deal about the care, feeding, and rights and wrongs of dealing with Swans and river birds. I met him briefly the other day on the sewage bridge, but was not formerly introduced, I found out later who he was. Since the subject being discussed was the recently discovered family of rats and what should be done about them, perhaps I should have smelled one. I am reminded of the shiny newly elected ex Cllr Marsden and his attempt at new job creation and empire building, and the end result of his comments about the Swans Island some years ago. With no Nairn bypass, the ongoing dog poo problem, Seagulls, Town Degeneration, sorry Regeneration, and getting yes votes for the referendum, there is plenty for Cllr MacAuley to get his teeth into. I wish him well in his new career and hope he tackles some of the above problems, keeping a healthy distance from the Swans and river birds. He seems to recognise they are an asset to the local tourist industry. Perhaps he could get the region to fund some of the winter feeding costs to maintain our healthy stock of 120 birds ? I currently supply 50kg of grain per week plus carrots and wholemeal bread, at a weekly cost of around £30. Donations cover a part of this. Nairn can be proud of having the healthiest wild river bird population in the highlands thanks to kind donors and myself. On the welfare of the healthiest Swans and ducks in the Highlands, my advice is - if it ain't broke don't fix it! I know politicians like to pick winners, but they should contribute to the success first. I asked the swans if they would like a politician getting involved in their future, their answer in the above photo.
