Family break up at Marsh Lock

[benjenbav]

Walking along the riverbank yesterday evening I noticed what I think is the same family of swans as I have been watching on and off since they hatched 11 cygnets in the Spring.

Now down to 4 adolescent cygnets, they seem to have developed a rather reckless habit of swimming in to the lock from upstream, then being washed down with the boats and returning with the next fill of the lock.

Yesterday, one of the parents (dad, I guess) waited outside the lock and as the gates closed could be heard mewling plaintively before swimming off to look for food.

When the rest of the family returned 20 minutes later as the upper gates opened (the swans led the boats out) he seemed to be keen to keep an aloof distance, perhaps (if it's not too anthropomorphic to say so) thinking: 'I did tell you not to and now you're back, I hope you've learned your lessons.'

 

[kremmen]

These swans are particularly stupid. When the "upper" river swans and cygnets go through to the lower end they invade the "lower" swans territories and are attacked. Swan rescue, residents and passing boaters have stopped these swans from being drowned several times. During regatta three cygnets went over the weir and two were attacked and unusually the third joined the "lower" creche . Luckily swan rescue stopped the attacks and after some overnight care returned the two. According to swan rescue the adults usually recognise the cygnets by the chirps they make.
The "upper" river parents have lost several cygnets but by some miracle the "lower" pair have kept some and are now up to 12 cygnets ( according to swan uppers the most they have seen in one parental group).
Apart from the birds being daft the main reason the swans go through the lock is that boaters feed them on the layby and then follow the boats into the lock looking for more food.

 

[benjenbav]

These swans are particularly stupid. When the "upper" river swans and cygnets go through to the lower end they invade the "lower" swans territories and are attacked. Swan rescue, residents and passing boaters have stopped these swans from being drowned several times. During regatta three cygnets went over the weir and two were attacked and unusually the third joined the "lower" creche . Luckily swan rescue stopped the attacks and after some overnight care returned the two. According to swan rescue the adults usually recognise the cygnets by the chirps they make.
The "upper" river parents have lost several cygnets but by some miracle the "lower" pair have kept some and are now up to 12 cygnets ( according to swan uppers the most they have seen in one parental group).
Apart from the birds being daft the main reason the swans go through the lock is that boaters feed them on the layby and then follow the boats into the lock looking for more food.

Thinking about it the pair I have seen frequently this year with a large brood were below Marsh Lock. So, hopefully, not so many lost as I had feared.