Swan Among the Ducks

 We live in confusing times. I woke up fairly early (I think around 7:30) to another sunny day; but decided to stay in bed for a while, listening to the radio - forgetting that nowadays, that just means war news and speculations repeated over and over again, and not much else. My brain obviously almost immediately decided it had had enough of that depressing stuff, and when I did not turn off the radio, the brain turned itself off and went back to sleep.

Next time I woke up, it was 10:30. And I was still tired. (I dare not guess how I'll cope with daylight saving time in a couple of weeks...).  

Having had breakfast around 11, it felt a bit too soon to have lunch at 12, or even 13. So I decided to go out for a walk before the next meal, rather than after. My camera persuaded me to go somewhere "different" for a change, and suggested the little lake where there used to be a bird sanctuary, including some rare birds. A few years ago, they had to move the rare birds, though, as they were putting down pipes for long-distance heating through the lake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signs say that they intend to restore the sanctuary and bring in some new rarer birds. But for now, there is mostly the usual common mallards to be seen there - and sometimes bigger migrating birds landing there for a break - like geese or swans; and gulls in the summer.

Today, there were more mallards than I could count, plus among them, one (1) swan, making me think of H.C. Andersen's story The ugly duckling. (If you don't know it, it's about a swan hatched and growing up among ducklings, and feeling different).  

"He is too big," they all said.

 

 

I think they were all a bit disappointed with me because I hadn't brought them any food.

 

 

 

Somewhat to my surprise, there was still a thin layer of ice covering a large part of the lake.

Alas, as nice as the walk around that lake is, getting there and back involves walking along streets/roads with heavy traffic - which is one reason why I don't go there more often.

On my way back, I choose the "steep shortcut", a wooden walk-bridge over the railway. It makes the way shorter, but especially the first time in spring it's also a "fitness test" (phew):

43 steps up, and 46 down on the other side.

Sun, Snow and Swans

We had a rare glimpse of sun and blue sky over the wintry cityscape today. Appreciated by both people and birds – and even sculptures!

No one sitting on the stairs leading down to the water, though!

There was a flock of (whooper) swans swimming in the river by the park.

“A swan may stare at a human, as well as the other way round!”

One thing I love about the camera is the option to just zoom in on the things I want to see…

(… and ignore, for example, the highrise buildings on the other side of the river…)

Swans

I spy with my little eye…
Some whooper swans swimming in among the reeds in the river.
From Wikipedia I learn that whooper swans pair for life, and that their cygnets stay with them all winter. So I assume the grey one here is the offspring of the two white ones, from last year.

“Spring in the air” here today – even if spring in mid February is never to be trusted…

Photos taken with my phone.

A Walk Around Swan Lake

On Friday, there was an article in my local newspaper about the bird sanctuary lake in one of our parks, which this time of year is often invaded by a large number of whooping swans. Some people living close to the lake had been complaining about the level of noise made by the swans, especially in the nighttime.

To me, hearing the whooper swans honking high up in the air this time of year is a sign of spring. But then of course, not living all that close to the water, I only hear them now and then when I’m out walking, and I don’t have to listen to them all the time.

However, reading about them in the paper at breakfast on Friday morning, while still having my brother here (and it being a sunny morning), I suggested we might drive over to this park for a walk around the lake before lunch. So we did.

The lake was still frozen over, except for the bird sanctuary at the other end, where they keep the water open for the birds.

Personally I would not trust the ice now, even if there were still visible human footprints to be seen on it.

At the same time, plants (yellow iris, if memory serves me right)are now shooting up through it, eager to greet the sun!

Because the swans were making so much noise at the sanctuary at the northern end of the lake (where there are also people living nearby), they made another big hole in the ice on the other side of the lake (where there are no houses) – hoping to get the swans to spread out a bit. But of course swans do as they like, anyway…

Besides swans, there were also various kinds of geese and ducks enjoying the sunny (if still rather chilly) morning.

There are also a couple of Australian black swans in the sanctuary; black swans are not part of our native fauna here.

I may be linking this post to some memes coming up in the next few days: Through My Lens, Our World Tuesday and Outdoor Wednesday. You’ll find links to these in the list at the bottom of my blog.