• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Mute Swan deaths (1 Viewer)

Reader

Well-known member
Page 24 of the Daily Mirror reports:

************
Headline : MASSACRE OF THE SWANS

Up to 200 swans have been killed or seriously injured after flying into unmarked cables.

Animal rescue teams were called to the scene when train passengers spotted the birds lying in the fields.

Investigator Stephen Knight found 173 dead and 8 injured swans on Sunday spread over 1,000 acres at Monkton, near Ramsgate in Kent.

Many had lain for weeks without being spotted. One three-week old bird had a gangrenous wing which had to be amputated. the injured swans were taken to the Swans Sanctuary in Egham, Surrey, where Dot Beeson, 55, said: It was absolutely heartbraking. I have never come across anything so horrific."

Electricity firm Seeboard said it would be fitting markers, known as bird diverters, as soon as possible. But Mr Knight added: "Seeboard has behaved outrageously - 140 more swans could die before they put them up".

************


Time and time again I see story's just like this one. I don't know what the answers would be to stop these type of deaths and injuries but I'm sure that collaboration between anyone that puts any type of structure that could hinders birds flight and local RSPB / Bird clubs would give an insight to the rights and wrongs of these structures. It would, at the ground level of any plans, alert the builders to the necessary steps to be taken to the fitting of whatever devices are necessary to stop this slaughter.

I don't know about you but a lot of these birds follow a set path when they fly and surely this could be monitored and placed on a data base. Once there, builders could be told that there could be a problem if they are to build on co-ordinates that correspond with certain types of bird behaviour such as Swan fly paths.

Every morning we have 3 Canadian Gees that fly a virtual relgiously held path past our house. They fly within a 50 yard corridor and always at the same height. I have seen Swans do this at countless sites. Is it too much to ask that we take note of these idiosyncrasies of the birding world.

What do you think?
 
I agree entirely, John J.

Logistically, I don't know how one would ensure that this kind of collaboration takes place (perhaps the Dept. of Environment should be brought into this), but you are exactly right to point out that this kind of event is foreseeable, at least by people in the know.



As it happens I was overflown by two Mutes on the way to work this morning - and they are magnificent birds (although no more or less worthy of consideration than any other.)

Sometimes we (humans) make mistakes through ignorance - and this is forgivable.

It is unforgivable not to avoid a circumstance such as this, that could be predicted.
 
I have no axe to grind either way, but, why is it always someone else's fault!.

I think that the reasons why this happened needs to be discovered before blame is laid at someones door!.
And I do agree that most deaths caused by birds flying into cables could be reduced, but not eradicated. I have seen Mutes fly into cables three times. It is sickening watching it happen without being able to do anything about it. The sound of the thump as the bird hits the ground, the hope that it has survived relatively undamaged when you get to it. One out of the three survived. The others died immediately I would think. The rescue people named the one that survived after my eldest!

In defence of the electricity boards, why didn't someone as previously said warn them of the potential problems if these were new cables?.
Why didn't train passengers inform the rescue people sooner. Were these new cables being erected?, or ,old ones being modified? or just old ones which had been there for years, but that something else contributed to the swans flying into them, like trees being felled which the birds would normally have flown over, or flooded fields being an attraction to them.

Its not just thoughtless or malicious humans that can cause the deaths of Mute Swans!. I have recently reported 3 Mute Swan deaths ( Ring no's to BTO ) with another dead Swan where I cannot reach it. Plus another one rescued and picked up from me by Swan Rescue last weekend!.

In these cases it is Mute Swans who are the culprits, either killing directly by drowning or indirectly by driving other Swans into places where they are vulnerable to predators.


Rant over!
 
Last edited:
<I think that the reasons why this happened needs to be discovered before blame is laid at someones door!.>

Alan, I couldn't agree more. I also agree with your point regarding why birders didn't alert them earlier but again was the problem recognised prior to this incident or was it never thought of as a problem. I suppose that it could be an area that is not easily accessible therefore birdwatchers and people in general (apart from rail passengers) wouldn't get the chance to do something about it.

I, personally, wasn't laying blame to anyone, just reporting a story followed by my own personal feelings.

My point was hopefully to recognise possible future problems with proposed new sites to receive these sort of structures. Old ones would not show a problem until it was too late i.e as possibly in the highlighted case. In these cases timing is paramount to rectifying a known problem, which by all accounts doesn't seem the case in the highlighted story.

We all know that there are variables in all tragedies. The ones we have to be interested in are the ones we can influence the outcome of.
 
John

I know!. I reread your post and moderated my reply somewhat.

Something like this does not get reported often. So one assumes that usually, something like this is anticipated ( feared ) and steps taken to minimise the probability of it happening.

The only problem is. Humans and their failings are always involved!.
 
A three-week-old swan in January?

And as long as I can remember, Electricity lines have had "corks" on them since I was a boy. But then again, I didn't live in the affluent South East of the country . . .
 
There are power lines that run close to 3 neighbouring reserves near to where I live - Broomhil Ings, Wombwell Ings and the Old Moor Wetland Centre.

The wires that directly straddle these wetlands have large "swan diverters" or whatever they're called, although there are none as far as I remember on the wires to either side of these spans.

These a seriously big, an I imaging they must be either hollow or made of some "expanded" material.

They were intentionally fitted for the purpose - but I believe they are the only ones I have ever seen.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 21 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top