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After nurturing the woodpigeons with such care for the past few weeks, I had hoped their release to the wild would be OK. Sadly, Alan the most able of the two has been killed by a Sparrowhawk the day after release.
I found his remains in Viewfield near the tennis courts, which was the direction I saw him fly to when released. Woody returned the next day and I was relieved to see it was alive, he has since been away again but returned again today. He is not yet savvy to the wild, and I will keep him in the Aviary for a while longer until he is more mature.
The paraplegic pigeon has also returned with the flock of feral pigeons and has survived being released. This bird you would not have given Tuppence for his chances, yet he has survived and can fly as well as any other pigeon, it's walking that he has a problem with.
Meanwhile Woody is company for the miracle duckling with the broken leg. Astonishingly the leg has healed into a usable limb once again ! After consulting the vet and our avian adviser Sue, I kept it confined to the coop for 5 days with no disturbance of any kind, and gave it painkiller medication once a day.
It sat motionless for much of the time only moving to eat and drink.
Incredibly after the 5 days I let it into the Aviary to see it walk, using both legs and feet albeit with a limp. It can also paddle with the broken leg and I have seen it scratch its face with it, and jump down from a ramp.
Sue was planning to take the duck into her Sanctuary where she has several one legged ducks, in the event that this duckling was going to end up the same way. I will now return this duckling to the river very soon.
With the arrival of the Cygnets, and the death of Alan the woodpigeon, this has been a bittersweet week for me.
Within 2 days of hatching the cygnets were taken to the sea, this has always been the custom of Popeye and Penny.
The introduction to the big wide world shows no fear to these tiny cygnets, escorted by two very protective parents.
Even gulls that got too close were given short shrift by Popeye. With the ebb tide exposing plenty of fine seaweed for the cygnets to eat, and pleasant weather too.
Penny allowed as many as 6 cygnets onto her back at one stage but it was pretty crowded at that.
River weed is in short supply and growth is just as late as the rest of the vegetation this spring, I think they will be visiting the beach more often for that reason this year.
After a hard day at the beach, it was time to retire to the safety and comfort of the island nest
.
Having missed out on seeing the 9 cygnets earlier, I was blessed with a small break in the weather and the cygnets being taken to the moat for a dip.
Enclosed some Aww pics and short video, when Penny decides to take them back to the nest.
You can hear her calling them time and again, and Popeye following up behind to protect any stragglers !
UPDATE : Proper scrutiny this morning reveals Penny has equaled her record of 9 cygnets hatched !
With another brief break in the cloud, I can confirm it is 8 cygnets hatched to date.
Enjoy some of the Aww pics taken this evening,
plus a short video when penny tries to call them from the nest to the moat.
Wisely they stayed where it was warm, the air is still very cold !
As expected Penny has delivered the goods right on schedule. At this time I could see 7 cygnets for definite, possibly 8 in one of the enclosed pics.
In spite of the cold spring she has managed to maintain the right heat for the hatch to be successful. I was lucky to get a break in the rain and clouds to get a few pics when she let them out for some sunshine.
Popeye will no doubt get them into the water at the earliest opportunity.
Special Thanks to the 60+ members of the River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust who have helped fund the quality food for the Swans over the long Winter.
More pics will be on stream over the coming weeks.
Mid - May and the weather is atrocious, basically a repeat of last year. It's becoming that we can boast having 9 month Winters !!
Even the Birds are acting as though the autumn was here, seeking out food a full time business just to keep the cold at bay.
With the arrival of the cygnets imminent, Popeye is on close standby and Penny trying to keep the nest dry and windproof to allow the hatch underneath. The 7 surviving ducklings are doing well and a safe size from crows and gulls.
The pigeons in the aviary will be let loose tomorrow, and the wee duckling with the badly broken leg continues to get pain relief medication.
I only hope the weather improves before more ducklings show up !
Herons have been pretty well absent from the lower river for some time, but now they are back on a daily basis. The parr are the main attraction heading downstream at the moment. This week I will have to say goodbye to my beautiful woodpigeon pals, it will be time for them to leave the safety and security of the Aviary and fend for themselves.
They are now acclimatised and have learned to peck around for food. It has been an enlightening and heartwarming experience, rearing them for the past few weeks.
They are friendly affectionate and gentle doves, I will miss them.
We have a killer dog on the river, seen and reported twice this week. It has been described as a spaniel brown and white, seen chasing the only remaining ducklings. Yesterday another duckling went missing and I retrieved one today with a badly broken leg, the break is such that it is unfixable.
This dog must be stopped killing and injuring the wildlife, it has apparently been allowed to run free with no owner present, and believed to come from the new bridgemill flats. The cygnets will soon be hatched and will stand no chance against such a dog, it is imperative that all Trust members and anyone else who values our wildlife, report any sightings of this dog and owner to the Scottish SPCA 03000 999 999 and Police on 101 to stop this riverside carnage. It is against the law to have an unsupervised dog running around killing wildlife.
Once again the Fishertown fly tippers show their civic pride in our River by dumping a mattress, rather than phone the council to have it removed.
I read with interest on the local Gurn that the River Community Council are planning to take over the grass cutting and other civic maintenance tasks like tree planting, pruning etc. With the Gurn, Liz, Colin and Tommy Hogg, who are all sharing the same political bed, this should surely be fairly easy to achieve ? The River community council should represent the WHOLE COMMUNITY in their patch, Party Politics should stay out of it . However many people in Nairn don't see this at all. I also notice there was no mention of picking up litter from the riverside which I and others have been doing for years. The River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust have been given the cold shoulder by the powers that be - of course Swans and ducks don't vote. The current 60 + plus members of the trust most of whom are members of the local community, have put their money where their mouth is and wish to protect and enhance the river wildlife and their environment - they do vote. I recently offered Liz and the region the chance for the Trust to plant some Rowan, Hawthorn and shrubs at two locations on the tidal reaches of the river at no cost to the region. This was refused, WHY ? Quite simply because the local politicians can see some political kudos in doing it themselves. The reason the Trust wanted to do it, was for the benefit of the birds winter food supply, and the enjoyment that the community would get from it. Had we been given permission it would have already been done. I appreciate that some individuals have a personal dislike of me, but this should not interfere with the greater good of the Town, community, wildlife, and environment. For a small Town like Nairn, there is much too much politics, talk and back stabbing, and not enough support and action for those people and organisations that have the well being of the Town at heart ! Time to start sharing the bed equally !
Penny our Resident Pen is still having to play the waiting game for what is surely the longest incubation period for a British bird. However next week should see the cygnets emerge, and we all await to see how many new arrivals we have.
Meanwhile our only surviving ducklings so far total 9 with a loss of 26 to predators and flooding. We should get quite a few more broods before too long since most of the females are nesting now. I had a report yesterday of a brown and white Spaniel chasing the ducklings, and the mother duck frantically diverting it away from them, another case of an uncontrolled dog after the wildlife ! Sadly I was alerted by a concerned Harbour St resident, to a small bird on the path near merryton bridge yesterday evening, it appeared to be sick.
On inspection I could see it had lost it's right eye, perhaps to a cat or another bird. I took it home with the intention of calling the Scottish SPCA in the morning if it did not improve. Sadly it was dead by morning, I think infection of the missing eye socket was probably the cause. I think it was a juvenile Chiffchaff according to my book of birds.
On a happier note, sounds of Spring recorded the other evening when the white duck and Popeye looking magnificent showed up, a blackbird was singing away in the background. Short video below.
At last a wee bit of warmth, has Spring finally arrived ? After such a prolonged Winter today certainly feels like spring. Most of the Ducks are now nesting although a few still mosey around the island. The Links duck has lost 6 of her 15 ducklings but I'm hopeful she will hold onto most of the remainder. So far 3 other broods totalling 20 ducklings that I know of have been wiped out by predators.
I would remind people to avoid throwing bread at any ducklings they see, this is only likely to bring down the gulls and crows resulting in more duckling deaths. Most gulls are now nesting but a few remain on the river, I picked up a Highland Council leaflet on Seagull control from the council offices which gives comprehensive information on problems caused by gulls etc.
The education section states, "The public are discouraged from feeding gulls at home as well as in parks and other open spaces" At the end of the leaflet, the council say that there will be, "no culling or egg or nest removal, since there is no evidence the presence of gulls is affecting public health or air safety".
Woody and Alan the reared rescued Wood pigeons are now enjoying the aviary outdoors, along with the paraplegic feral pigeon.
I rigged up a small swing for them and they make full use of it, although the paraplegic pigeon had difficulty getting on and balancing !
I should be able to introduce them to the wild within a week or so, since they have just about learned to fend for themselves.
With a little under 2 months to the close of the River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust Wildlife Photo Competition, we wish to remind all 8 to 15 year olds to keep snapping. This spring has been very cold and prolonged, but hopefully the weather will get warmer soon.
You can send your entries in to me at jayteescot1@hotmail.com or send them in by post to River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust, 10 douglas St, Nairn IV124DJ. You can send in up to 3 photos maximum size A4. Stating your name and address, age, where the photo was taken, with the date and type of camera used. First prize £40 plus one years membership to the Trust, 2nd and 3rd prizes of £20 and £10 plus one year free membership to the Trust.
You can join the current 60 members of the Trust that care about the River Nairn Wildlife. Your photos can be of any local wildlife - land, sea, or air !
