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Black Swan on rowing course Nottingham (1 Viewer)

S

Steve Foster

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Walking around the rowing course at the National Water sports Centre Nottingham..end of day saw the usual white swans then was suprised to see a black swan.....might still be there tomorrow was near the pavillion end at the entrance about 4pm ...close of the day....
 
Hiya Steve, welcome to Birdforum. There are quite a few escaped Black Swan knocking around the country with occasional breeding records. I'm not sure of the exact situation in Nottinghamshire, i've not seen one there myself, but have seen them in the neighbouring counties of Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire (including a breeding attempt that was, unfortunately for the birds concerned, timed to the southern hemisphere spring) over the last few years.
 
melodious said:
(including a breeding attempt that was, unfortunately for the birds concerned, timed to the southern hemisphere spring) over the last few years.
Click to expand...


That's interesting!...I'd have thought that the "trigger" for reproduction, would have been for an increase in daylight/temperature?...certainly a ''topsy-turvey'' state of affairs :)

Wonder if any other Southern hemisphere birds show a similar predisposition?
 
I think they said reindeer (at the penguin colony) adapted within two breeding seasons, probably after nobody had a calf and it was springtime.
 
melodious said:
?........... unfortunately for the birds concerned, timed to the southern hemisphere spring) .........
Click to expand...

Wouldn't birds migrating from a breeding season in the northern hemisphere to the south of the Equator experience a similar disposition to breed again if that was the norm?
 
twentywell said:
Wouldn't birds migrating from a breeding season in the northern hemisphere to the south of the Equator experience a similar disposition to breed again if that was the norm?
Click to expand...

I doubt its the norm, more to do with the exact circumstances of a given pair. These may have been recently escaped birds, or it could be that the timing of this nesting attempt was merely coincidental with breeding times in the native range; it could have been the last in a series of failed attempts through the spring and summer. As Steve notes autumnal breeding attempts may even be successful though this of course is less likely in northern England then on the south coast, particularly in the relatively 'soft' surrounding of the Swannery (as opposed to a mining subsidence flash)
 
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I understand their numbers are slowly increasing - so Category C might be beckoning. Is there anything in the latest RBBP?

In disputes with Mute Swans they seem to come worst off, so presumably not likely to displace or threaten any local wildlife.
 
melodious said:
This site gives greater detail, the European context, plus the justification as to why Black Swan is currently not regarded as self-sustaining http://www.bou.org.uk/bouproc-net/non-natives/dudley20100531.pdf
Click to expand...

Interesting. I haven't read the review for a while and it is immediately apparent that more work needs to be done on Black Swan viz, its population density in its native land and whether or not a part of the Black Swan population is nomadic due to changing conditions in Australia - in other words, is long-distance dispersal between isolated breeding sites in fact the norm for Black Swans? If it is, then the idea that the pairs in Britain are not likely to become a self-sustaining population is clearly ill-founded.

How long did this review take in the pub?

John
 
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