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Penny gave me a grateful reminder of why I got the huge tree root removed from the Moat last month. Her ability to take off and land in the moat is essential for the Swans Safety in the event of an emergency. It's removal also stopped it being washed back and forth with each high tide, damaging the moat and island itself.
In addition it could have been used to ambush the young cygnets, today was an example of how the swans sometimes approach the moat, with a young cygnet leading the way - a future leader perhaps ?
Today's high tide gave me an opportunity to try and rid the Moat of the huge tree root stuck there. I donned the chest waders and struggled and moved the monster for half an hour, before giving up when it stuck fast. Local tradesman and wind surfing enthusiast Gary Reid saw my struggles, offered to don his wetsuit and have a go at shifting it. Gary heroically grappled with the monster, pulling, pushing and rocking it over the stones and ultimately swimming it into midstream to be carried off with the ebb tide ! I tried to take a photo of Gary's triumph but my camera was soaked - although I had it in a top pocket ...what a cost to keep the moat clear. My Grateful thanks to Gary !
The legacy of last weeks Spate is strewn all over the beach, and changed the course of the river yet again. The swans island moat has a huge half ton tree root sitting at the end of it. This hulk has no doubt shifted thousands of tons of river shingle on it's way downstream, and probably changed quite a few salmon pools too. I can only hope that next months spring tide will remove it, otherwise it could sit there until we get another flood.
Again nature has dealt a blow to many ducks nests, with many being flooded out, but Penny our Sitting Swan has been spared because there was no high tide to threaten the nest. This has been a tough nesting time with Snow, wind and rain for the past month. It will be interesting to see if she has preserved all her clutch intact, and if they will all hatch next month. It shows the wisdom of the Swans not nesting early when the weather was good, it could have spelt disaster for any hatched young in the past week. Meanwhile the Jackdaws are into their nesting season, and many now picking up dog hair and feathers to line their nests.
