Swans Ducks

Autumn temperatures have arrived, and the river levels have risen with recent rainfall. The birds are starting to show their new plumage, and some ducks are already eyeing up their mates for next season. 

The cygnets are slowly turning white, and Duke is now ready to fly again after moulting.

This weeks sad news - The pigeon that had been attacked by a cat has died. After 11 days I thought it was recovering well from it's injuries, but it must have had some underlying problem I was unaware of. The fact that it was caught by a cat, was perhaps a clue that it was not well in the first place.

900 Blog Posts

Mid - Winter solstice today, and also marks my 900 blog posts to date since 2005. The river is running high and the forecast is for 
more rain and snow in the hills during this festive season. 

The Swans will not chase their cygnets away during this stormy unsettled weather, so likely to be here for a wee while yet. 

The salmon will be spawning, and a big seal is already on the hunt for fish as witnessed today. The swans and ducks were sticking close to the Island out of harms way.

Meanwhile the pigeons have a mid- winter meal !