Saturday 13 January 2018

Swanning around

It is always an easy option to walk around Trentham Lake.  Yesterday we went to the gardens to collect a newspaper and some milk, and to get some fresh air.  Over the last few years, swans (which were seldom seen on the lake) have been increasing in numbers.  There must have been 100 mute swans on the lake this week.
Formation flying for the joy of it.  These are heavy birds and need a long stretch of water on which to get airborne.  The splashing on the water surface and whistling of their wings can be heard across the lake.
Building nests, so egg laying is not far off.
And generally showing territorial behaviour to other swans on the lake.
There has been a pair of Australian Black Swans on Trentham lake for about 3 years now.  The pair seem to be treated like any other swans on the water.  They seem to respond to the mute swans with the same behaviour patterns, though their breeding season is out of sync.

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