BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking

On a bike, riding somewhere. Every day, rain or shine.

Posts tagged ‘cygnets’

#365daysofbiking Completing the circle

October 17th – One of the things that makes me happy in autumn is the parting of ways of that year’s cygnets and their parents. Gradually, as winter closes in, that year’s clutch are gradually pushed away by the parents who still keep a loose family group but won’t tolerate the young too close.

This gradual transition into adulthood is visible about now as you meet lone cygnets like this one, hustling for treats on the canal in walsall, a few hundred yards from its parents.

For once I had some corn and it ate like they always do, like tit had never had food before.

Soon, it’ll join the main local flocks and will spend a few years socialising before pairing off and the family cycle continuing.

Another successful year for the local swans.

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#365daysofbiking Arc of a diver

August 27th – The local cygnets are doing well, and are now the size of their parents.

I’m fascinated how they have their own personalities. This one is always dawdling being it’s family group, diving enthusiastically for green treats at the bottom of the canal.

So enthusiastic, it’s often wearing a wreath of reeds around it’s neck.

Ah well, no time for finesse when it comes to the grub…

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#365daysofbiking Happy families

August 19th – On the way home from a tiring, enervating day, I met these bandits by Clayhanger Bridge.

The family of five I think are the ones that hatched up by Newtown on the canal to Chasewater, and they’re cheeky, bold and in good health. The youngsters are adult sized now and their pecks – even playful ones – come sharp and hard.

Once they realised I had no treats to give and pecking my shoes made no impact, they happily pottered off back to browsing the weed under the watchful eye of mum.

Further towards Catshill, I saw the family of four who I think hatched in Walsall Wood. That means that with the watermead two, six swans locally have raised 11 offspring this year. Not too bad going, I think.

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#365daysofbiking Browsing

July 26th – I’ve lost track of most of the local swan families in Walsall this year – there were a fair few and they’ve all been quite mobile and most have suffered attrition from predators, so I’m not sure which family I’m seeing where now.

These hungry characters were feeding near the old copper works, just west of the motorway flyover at James Bridge, on the Walsall – Darlaston border.

They look healthy and well, but I’ve no idea if this is the family that hatched just a little way up the canal from here or another family.

Never mind, it’s all good…

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#365daysofbiking Getting some greens

June 27th – The Watermead swan brood now are growing fast, and the chicks are getting quite a size, with them now in the lanky, scruffy stage of their development.

It’s more common now to see lone cygnets browsing and feeding away from the parent group and this busy forager was feeding on one side of Catshill Junction while his mum and 2 siblings were snoozing on the grass by the narrows on the Walsall Wood side.

With plenty of water greens to keep them healthy they’ll soon be adult-sized birds.

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#365daysofbiking Chirrup, it’s Monday morning

June 24th – When I left for work on a decent but grey Monday, I took to the canal with a heavy heart.

It wasn’t long though before something cheered me up – the Walsall Wood swan family, chirruping to each other as they begged for treats in Walsall Wood.

Such a cheerful, delightful family, always under the watchful eye of mum and dad.

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#365daysofbiking Family values

June 23rd – Another cheering sight was the swan family resting up en masse in a canalside garden near Wharf Bridge. Sadly slightly depleted in number now due to predation, the six remaining birds were content and sleeping – along with a cheeky mallard that clearly decided to join them.

What a lovely thing to have in your garden!

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#365daysofbiking Rainy day bandits

June 11th – The rain continued throughout Tuesday and everything was sodden.  Squelching my way home I hit the canal back to Brownhills, again avoiding the mad wet-weather traffic, and met these guys near the Pelsall Road.

It’s nice to see the Watermead swan family – such attentive parents they hatched just 3 this year, but these cheeky little bandits who immediately came over for treats are healthy and full of beans.

I didn’t realise it was possible for swans to look so wet, but they did. I wonder what they think of this endless rain?

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#365daysofbiking Just like mum

May 29th – Encountered just by Clayhanger Bridge, the Watermead swan family are growing fast, and the youngsters are growing in confidence and pottered over to see if I had treats, under the stern, watchful eye of dad.

Mum was grazing the bottom of the canal, pulling up choice strings of algae and offering them to her chicks – who obliged by attempting to copy her. This is obviously ja learning exercise only, as the tiny birds can’t yet reach the bottom.

Lovely to see the family growing and developing so well.

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