Thursday, September 13, 2007

First there were two ....

...... and then there were seven.
Two black swans and five little white cygnets.
Whilst driving along the road near Dalmeny last week I spotted these two black swans on a nest not far from the road. We stopped further up the road and walked back for a better look, by which time three other cars had also stopped - local residents who had been keeping 'maternity watch' in the last few days. They were even more delighted than us to discover that these 5 babies had hatched overnight. A lady told us that foxes took the eggs before they hatched the previous year.
It's always a special thrill to unexpectedly encounter nature in its natural habitat rather than in a zoo.
I hope these cygnets will remain safe and grow into beautiful mature black swans.


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5 comments:

Kerri said...

Yes, it so exciting to see the creatures in the wild. Seeing them in their natural habit always feels like a special privilege to me. I hope the babies will stay safe. It's certainly a dangerous world for them. I'm glad you had this opportunity and had your camera with you :)

Jellyhead said...

Aw, what a happy post! I've never seen swans in the wild ... how lovely.

Carole Burant said...

Now THAT'S why we should always have our cameras with us, right??!!! hehe How wonderful that you came upon them and were able to take pictures of them...and I'm so glad that the babies were able to hatch safely. Now let's hope they stay safe!! We don't have black swans around here unless it's in a zoo, I always find them so fascinating! xox

Anonymous said...

Wow I've never seen black swans before. What majestic creatures they are.
Sara from farmingfriends

meggie said...

I hope they grow up too! How lovely to see them.