Black Swans (1 Viewer)

pduxon

Quacked up Member

• Aug 3, 2003

• #1

What are the chances of Black Swan becoming a British Bird?

I first saw a pair of them at Audley End House on the river/lake. Recently there was at least one on the lake at Hatfield Forest.

 

dylan

Well-known member

• Aug 3, 2003

• #2

There was one hanging around my local sewage works for a few weeks last summer, he seemed to like it there.

Are they spreading?

 

walwyn

Well-known member

• Aug 3, 2003

• #3

Saw one on Rutland Water last October, plenty at Slimbridge too. Neighbour of my father's in Hereford breeds them. I gather they can be rather aggressive, drowning other wildfowl etc. Perhaps people are releasing them once the novelty wears off.

 

Karl J

Well-known member

• Aug 3, 2003

• #4

'scuse the ignorance but if you've seen them in Britain (and Wals fathers neighbour breeds them in Hereford), isn't it already a british bird ?

Or is it an escapee or something ?

 

M

Malvolio

Well-known member

• Aug 3, 2003

• #5

They're all escapes and there are quite a lot of them. Should these escapes begin to breed regularly and be deemed to have a viable self sustaining population then the species might be admitted to the British list as a naturalised species. This has already happened with several species such as Ring-necked Parakeet, Common Pheasant, Canada Goose, Little Owl, Red-legged Partdridge and Mandarin Duck, for example.

I suspect Black Swans have still got a fair way to go before being deemed self sustaining as a population.

As a general rule the introduction of non-native species is not to be welcomed of course as they can cause all sorts of havoc and work to the detriment of native species - often in ways difficult to envisage until it's too late!

MV

 

walwyn

Well-known member

• Aug 3, 2003

• #6

Australian species Cygnus atratus.
http://www.auburnweb.com/paradise/birds/black_swan.html

In days gone by in flight thought to be the devil as it appears to fly backwards.

 

Karl J

Well-known member

• Aug 3, 2003

• #7

Oh right, informative stuff there. Cheers

 

C

cuddy

Brian Robson

• Aug 3, 2003

• #8

Got a local Photographer who has a website who pushes them as a local bird all the time

 

Henry H

Well-known member

• Aug 3, 2003

• #9

There's been one at Fairhaven Lake (near Blackpool) for a few months now.
He (or she) sometimes goes on a weekend break but always returns!

 

Nina P

Nina

• Aug 3, 2003

• #10

There were a pair of them on christchurch harbour in the 60's for about 15 years, but to my knowledge they had one or two young that failed to survive, but I haven't heard any more of them since. Nina.

 

MarkHows

Mostly Mammals

• Aug 6, 2003

• #11

I visited Cornwall in April and saw at least 10 individuals at several sites, some looked paired up as well

 

Gerry Hooper

Certified User

• Aug 6, 2003

• #12

There's a pair at Dawlish Town. They breed most years and can be seen with young in the Exe estuary.Haven't seen them this year though.
They seem more agressive than the Mute Swans and regularly chase them away.

 

Edward

Umimmak

• Aug 6, 2003

• #13

We've got at least three in Iceland at the moment. They come every spring with the Whoopers and leave again in the autumn for Ireland. It's a Category E bird in Iceland but, as I never tire of reminding my Icelandic birding chums, I've seen the real McCoy Down Under.

E

 

Michael Frankis

conehead

• Aug 6, 2003

• #14

A swan researcher I know reckons that while they're not established yet, they're not far off it. So they could be added to the list of 'tickable' ferals before too much longer.

I've an idea they're already accepted as an established feral in one or two European countries, not sure where but it was somewhere a bit odd, Hungary or Austria or something like that - the sort of place you'd think they'd get frozen out in winter.

Michael

 

D

davebroadley

Well-known member

• Aug 8, 2003

• #15

There's a feral population in Belgium doing quite well

David

 

Michael Frankis

conehead

• Aug 8, 2003

• #16

So if you see one with a Belgian ring, you can count it?

Michael

 

W

willimac

Well-known member

• Aug 25, 2003

• #17

Visited Orkney in early August and watched a black swan on Loch Harray which was being constantly harrased by the hordes of mute swans which seemed to resent its presence on the loch. Is that the normal behaviour when they cross paths or can they co-exist peacefully

 

Michael Frankis

conehead

• Aug 25, 2003

• #18

Hi Willimac,

I don't think swans know what "co-exist peacefully" means . . .

Michael

 

Tony_InDevon

Bird Lover & People Photographer

• Aug 26, 2003

• #19

Gerry Hooper said:

They seem more agressive than the Mute Swans and regularly chase them away.

Click to expand...

More aggressive? If Swans get any more aggressive they will be Canada geese. Must admit it is nice to see black Swans for a change.

 

Joern Lehmhus

Well-known member

• Aug 26, 2003

• #20

Over the years, I have seen 4 -5 birds wintering on the baltic see together with mute swans. Sometimes mute swans chased them away, but sometimes they were within groups of mute swans and the mute swans did not behave any different towards them than towards another mute swan. Together with the mutes they were feeding on algae, eelgrass and, visiting the harbours, on bread fed by the tourists. &The black swans did not seem to have any more problems with ice on the water and with frost and heavy snowfall than the mute swans.
Also there was a pair that raised young successfully at the nature resereve Rieselfelder Muenster in Northrhine -Westfalia some years ago. When I was there a few weeks ago, I only saw one individual that avoided the groups of mute swans being present there...
Just thinking: Probably establishing is difficult for that new species, as they would occupy the same ecological niche as mute swans ?