Tag: swans

May 4th – The swan family from the new pool in Clayhanger, whose four hatchlings I noted earlier in the week, have somehow moved the 30-odd meters to the canal, and were up near Walsall Wood Bridge, just near the High Street, when I spotted them yesterday evening. Clearly growing and bright as buttons, the little grey and white cygnets were clearly being taught to forage by mum and dad, who seemed to be finding clumps of vegetation for them to sort through, although their offspring didn’t seem too interested. Swans typically live on algae, reed grasses and small bugs and tadpoles, so learning to forage is critical.

Further up the canal in Brownhills, Mrs. Swan is still sitting. She seemed unsettled yesterday. Hatching must be imminent, I’m sure…

March 25th – It must be spring, the swans are back. This young pair built a nest last year, but didn’t raise a brood. Common behaviour in young swans, they often ‘practice’ for a couple of years before raising young. Mrs. Swan was still building her huge nest in the reeds at the back of the houses on Sadler pad, near Catshill in Brownhills. Carfully pulling stalks and fronds of reed and placing them around her, her mate drifted idly on the water, one leg up on his wing, unpeturbed. Swans are remarkable birds.

February 19th – Here at Whitemoor Haye, near Alrewas, there’s an example of a hidden menace stalking Britain’s crops, but it’s rarely mentioned. Everyone loves swans, the graceful, beautiful white birds that populate rivers, canals and parks. However, they have a darker side. Aggressive and voracious of appetite, these large birds with no real natural enemy are multiplying in number at a huge rate. In spring, they gather in huge groups – this is just a tiny one – on fields of very young crops, then proceed to decimate them. Swans love the green shoots of fresh growth, and will gather on any flat field. Farmers will zigzag tape barriers over crops to prevent the hungry birds from landing, but success is limited. After all, you can’t be unkind to such gorgeous birds, can you?

May 26th – On a windblown canal near Catshill Junction, I noticed the swans had two very young cygnets. These cute balls of grey fluff were relaxed and happy to be fed by their parents, who didn’t show any of the usual signs of swan aggression towards me. Not sure if this is the pair from by the Watermead Estate or the former mill at Catshill, but it’s nice to see. I do find myself wondering why we’re no longer seeing the broods of 8 and above as we did a few years ago, though.