I'm so glad you could stop by. This is my personal blog of daily life and my journey through life. You will find a strong emphasis on family and friends as well as finding my ancestors through genealogy. Unlike my other blogs this blog is more of a catch-all so any topic is fair game.

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Monday, June 01, 2009

Weekend Visitors


Weekend Visitors
May 30, 2009

Meet our weekend visitors. Aren't they adorable? Our first year we got to know a family of Mute swans (Cygnus olor) who visited our dock daily. When we first met them they had 3 cygnets, two males and a female. As the second summer drew to a close only one cygnet remained. Mute swans mate for life and care for their young through the second year. When the young swans leave, the couple has another clutch. This year's clutch is 2 cygnets although it could have been more. It is quite funny as the male (cob) and female (pen) swans are quite tamed. They come close enough we could pet them if we wanted to and unless we made a sudden or threatening move, I'm sure they would let us. We always feed them a whole grain bread and lettuce. Some feed them dry dog food but that is too high in protein and can cause malnutrition in Mute swans. A mixture of poultry layer pellets and cracked corn can also be used as a feed.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009


Posted by Garden Gnome at 2:38 PM
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1 comment:

  1. John | English Wilderness4:16 AM

    So cute :-) Unfortunately I haven't seen any cygnets so far this year.

    I saw a few ducklings and baby Moor Hens in Norfolk a few weeks ago.

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