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Showing posts with label swans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swans. Show all posts
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Swan blogs have moved
Swan blogs have moved
The swans, including Scooter, will now appear on the Huon Valley Nature Blog. If you're following Scooter, there's a new post there today. I won't be alerting again from this blog.
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Sunday, May 23, 2010
New cygnets at Franklin...?!
New cygnets at Franklin...?!
I'm not sure this is the right time of year for new cygnets, but this family seemed quite cheerful today. I have a suspicion that these adults are the same ones that raised the six cygnets I've been following for a few months. I'll see if I can match the markings on their beaks - these seem to have some individuality that might mark individual swans. Anyway, I was surprised to see new cygnets so close to winter - the last lot appeared just as summer started.
Recent Photos of Scooter and family
Recent Photos of Scooter and family
Scooter is still paddling about the Huon River near Franklin. I've seen him a few times recently, and got a few photos. He's often on his own when I see him, but sometimes with up to five others of his family. I've only seen six swans together recently, and I'm not sure which six they are, as most of them are adult-sized, or almost adult-sized. See the next post however, there are new cygnets about.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Scooter update 3
Scooter update 3
Scooter is still floating and flapping. He's got a few functional and health challenges, but looking at his wing-flapping, see below, maybe he'll make a go of it. Landing might be even worse than trying to fly if he ever gets of the water...His foot is badly damaged, and you can see the deterioration here. I suppose it might just fall off sometime. At the bottom, one of his parents shows us just how serious it is being responsible for six children, including one with a disability and a poor attitude.
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Saturday, March 13, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Scooter still developing
Scooter still developing
Saw the swans briefly last night in failing light. Scooter continues to develop.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Scooter still scooting
Scooter still scooting
Scooter seems very settled with his family at the moment. He's obviously delayed developmentally compared to his siblings, but he gets about quite happily. Just a couple of photos today. I'll post some other showing his siblings and their showing off etc when I find time.
That's Scooter's dud leg waving behind him. I noticed that he does seem to use it as some sort of steering mechanism when he drags it in the water, but he often keeps it out of the water as well.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Scooter can stand
Scooter can stand
Found the swans along the Franklin foreshore today. I almost missed them, looking across the river with binoculars, when they were swimming about only a few metres from me. Just need to look down sometimes. Scooter seems well, and I watched him stand in the shallows on his one working leg. He had occasional balance problems, but otherwise seems to manage this OK. I still haven't seen him fully out of the water, and I don't know if or how he would do this. All the cygnets are getting darker and larger all the time, so it can be hard to tell whether you're looking at a juvenile or an adult depending on the light.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The swan family make a visit
The swan family make a visit
Since I don't watch for them continually, but visit Franklin every two or three days to see if they're about, I don't know how often they now visit the Franklin foreshore. They have often been absent, presumably because they have a need to be elsewhere on the river. This evening though, they were around, and all looking very well. Scooter is the smaller, lighter and fluffier cygnet. His single-legged swimming appears to work quite well, and I didn't see any bullying from either his parents or siblings. Maybe he's learnt to "fit in".
Monday, February 8, 2010
"Scooter" swims on
"Scooter" swims on
I've decided the injured cygnet looks like someone riding a scooter when he paddles about, because he makes big thrusts with just his right leg. So, *he's* Scooter. Also, he's still swimming about. Haven't seen the family for about a week, but they were near the Wooden Boat School again yesterday afternoon and this morning. Scooter is in the middle preening. he's obviously smaller and less developed than his siblings.
Scooter was waggling his injured leg a lot. I wondered if he was working out how to make it do something useful. It appears that the lower joint doesn't work, but he was able to slap the water with it. Anyway, he did manage to lift himself out of the water like his parents and siblings, and flap his rather small wings. I haven't seen him do that before.
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
How a differently-abled cygnet relates to his family
How a differently-abled cygnet relates to his family
Took these yesterday evening. My little friend the cygnet is continuing to paddle about with his family and, while a little smaller and fluffier than the others, he is developing. His wings are much smaller than those of some of the other five cygnets.
His siblings are larger, their wings are more developed and their plumage is darker. This is one of the largest ones out of the water and grooming. I haven't seen the injured cygnet out of the water. He did mess about above this same submerged log, but didn't stand and groom like the others were. I assume he can stand on the one leg, but I'm not sure how he would actually get out of the water. Possibly he doesn't, but floats about to sleep. I have seen the whole family with heads tucked under wings floating around the wharf having a nanna-nap.
Here one of his siblings is showing off their wings.
The tide was quite high at the time, so the water depth over the bottom was much greater. I noticed that he was following the others around and swiping a bit of weed when they dived for it.
He clearly cannot do the "duck-dive" that the others do, although I did get the impression he was trying to. Maybe with a bit more size and strength, and practice, he'll work it out. Here he is hanging around while the others dive for weed.
And he's got some weed that one of the adults let him have. When I first saw the family in mid-December the adults were diving for weed and distributing it to the cygnets. They're still doing it for this one at times. If he pinches food from the others, it's not surprising that they peck at him.
And here's one of the adults. Just liked the photo actually!
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Monday, January 25, 2010
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