Swan numbers down due to shootings, says Queen's swan marker (1 Viewer)

"Air rifle attacks and random shootings by vandals have been blamed for a sharp drop in the number of swans recorded during the annual swan upping census on the Thames.

The rise in shootings was said to be the most serious factor causing swan numbers to drop by a third on last year, according to the Queen’s swan marker, David Barber.

The annual ceremony, a colourful affair held at the end of July and dating back to the 12th century, sees adult mute swans with cygnets captured, tagged and given a thorough health check before being released back into the river.

This year the count recorded just 83 cygnets, compared with 120 in 2014, in the royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The figure was described as disappointing by Barber.

“We’ve lost several swans in Windsor and Staines from shooting and air rifles,” he said. “There are plenty of natural causes that have taken their toll, like birds of prey and mink. But the shooting is the most serious.”

Swans who lose a partner take some time to find a new one, he said, “a little bit like humans”. Killing a swan is illegal under UK law.

“I hope numbers are back up next year, we can’t carry on at the rate that it’s going. What we’re concerned about is the vandalism and shooting.”

The swan upping ceremony sees the Queen’s swan marker, the royal swan uppers and the swan uppers of the Vintners’ and Dyers’ livery companies use six traditional Thames rowing skiffs in their five day journey up-river.

The swan upping team invite local schoolchildren each year to take part in the count to teach them about conservation. “I think that’s the key, to teach children to have an interest in wildlife and the river,” said Barber.

“If we have about 120 or 130 cygnets next year that will be a reasonable level – 80 isn’t acceptable but we do have some years that are lower than normal.”"

Reported in The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/07/swan-numbers-thames-shootings-queens-swan-marker-upping, by Caroline Davies.

Background article : http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/10/swans-air-gun-attacks-increase-uk

Here in East Anglia poaching of swans for food is an occasional occurance, I believe a case was reported at the Nunnery Lakes, Thetford, last year where a swan had been shot with an air rifle, breasted for the meat and the carcass dumped in the river.

Of our local river pairs, one have successfully raised four cygnets this year, the other just one from a clutch of four eggs, the losses more or less inevitably down to the ubiquitous mink or possibly fox.

Keep an eye on your local swans, they represent a lot of meat for those with no scruples and perhaps little grasp of English.

Best wishes,

As an aside, breeding success of Mute Swan at my local patch in London has been very poor this year - and it's nothing to do with shooting or poaching, just a very bad season.
Martin