Just record shots: Nikon D90 and an olympus HD compact camera. Pair of Mute swans nesting on a float on the River Clyde near the old Govan dry docks. With help from neighbours in the area, and dog walkers who feed and look in on them, maybe for once, we will see this pair of swans with cygnets. Contact: maggiemcm1960@aol.com
Album by Maggie. Photos by Maggie. 1 - 111 of 111 Total. 2069 Visits.
enlarge 76KB, 640x425 1 Cygnets 21/9/12 Nice to see they were succesful this year :)
enlarge 118KB, 640x424 2 Swan family 21/9/12
enlarge 87KB, 640x419 3 Preening swans 21/9/12
enlarge 99KB, 640x453 4 Dipper River Clyde Old Govan Docks 21/9/12
enlarge 133KB, 640x425 5 Female looking for nesting material. Not a good idea to nest there.
18/3/11
enlarge 131KB, 640x425 6 Coot down by the Clyde sitting with the swans with sore leg. Probably injured in a fight with another Coot. 5/4/11
enlarge 157KB, 640x425 7 Hoping this egg will hatch? First time I have seen these swans lay an egg. 6/4/11
enlarge 152KB, 425x640 8 7/4/11 Starting to throw twigs down for them to build a nest.
enlarge 163KB, 640x441 9 One sorry egg 8/4/11
enlarge 165KB, 640x425 10 Day 4 and still not interested in the egg. 8/4/11
enlarge 193KB, 640x425 11 Coot still feeling sore. 8/4/11
enlarge 167KB, 640x411 12 11/4/11
There were 3 eggs at the weekend but now one remains.
enlarge 202KB, 425x640 13 11/4/11
Some caterer guy comes in a van and throws out yesterdays bread to them. Does this every second morning.
enlarge 216KB, 640x450 14 This one is still abandoned 15/4/11
enlarge 208KB, 640x483 15 This one is being sat on 15/4/11
enlarge 139KB, 640x425 16 16/4/11 Not sure if this was the abandoned egg or she laid another and lost the abandoned egg? Getting confusing now :)
enlarge 237KB, 640x480 17 16/4/11 Takes 34 - 38 days to hatch but the way she has been laying and losing eggs, I can only guess now :)
enlarge 216KB, 480x640 18 16/4/11
enlarge 148KB, 640x481 19 18/4/11 At least it looks like a nest now :)
enlarge 163KB, 640x480 20 19th/4/11 Haven't seen the Coot lately but hope it's ok.
enlarge 269KB, 640x480 21 20/4/11 Some walking abortions just are that. No brains, nothing but scum. Throwing down a metal fencing. What is the point with these people? Scum!
enlarge 247KB, 640x452 22 21.4.11 Some nugget threw this fencing down which stuck in the float. Why? Sheer stupidity. Luckily it didn't hit the adults.
enlarge 162KB, 640x425 23 22/4/11 4 eggs now.
enlarge 182KB, 640x448 24 Nice to see them sharing the nest :) 22/4/11
enlarge 185KB, 640x425 25 22/4/11
Geting annoyed now with idiots throwing bricks and other stuff down at them.
enlarge 199KB, 720x449 26 22/4/11 Mallards being tolerated by the swans
enlarge 187KB, 640x413 27 24/4/11 Nice to see the Male is sharing in the duties :)
enlarge 151KB, 640x425 28 27/4/11 5 eggs now. Can't see in the photo but one of the dog walkers saw them when the female came off the nest to stretch her legs.
enlarge 208KB, 640x480 29 28/4/11 Looking good
enlarge 202KB, 640x480 30 30/4/11
Threw down a load of grass tufts for them to use as nesting.
enlarge 219KB, 640x458 31 2/5/11 It's still a joy to see them nesting. Don't know how the incubation works but the way she has been laying eggs at different times, heck knows when they will hatch but if only one hatches, it will have been worth all the work.
enlarge 237KB, 640x466 32 6/5/11 It's a long slog but hopefully it will be fruitful for them.
enlarge 184KB, 640x480 33 8/5/11 Pretty far down at low tide.
enlarge 203KB, 479x640 34 8/5/11 Weather got horrible today with the rain in the afternoon.
enlarge 190KB, 640x481 35 At last. Finally got a look at the 5 eggs. 8/5/11
enlarge 167KB, 640x425 36 8/5/11
enlarge 255KB, 640x480 37 8/5/11
enlarge 244KB, 640x480 38 10/5/11
enlarge 169KB, 640x425 39 12/5/11
enlarge 188KB, 640x455 40 14/5/11 Male wanting a shot of incubating but she wasn't having it.
enlarge 210KB, 640x480 41 14.5.11 Male tidying up the twigs.
enlarge 122KB, 640x425 42 Speed boat disturbing the swans 17/5/11
enlarge 124KB, 640x425 43 Check the water marks where the speed boat was causing waves coming on to the float. The male was on the water defiantly trying to defend his nest. God love him. 17/5/11
enlarge 166KB, 640x425 44 Filming some sort of programme for the BBC. They were all on the boat. 17/5/11
enlarge 119KB, 640x412 45 Don't recognise anyone. LOL 17/5/11 Called the wildlife liason officer to tell them to stop. Found out they are from "The Real Hustle".
enlarge 148KB, 640x480 46 17/5/11
Male back as things had calmed down again for lunch. Notice the lump of log is not there anymore at the corner. Took a lot to shift it.
enlarge 191KB, 640x461 47 18/5/11 Only 4 eggs now. I think they lost one due to the disturbance of the BBC filming using a speedboat.
enlarge 198KB, 640x425 48 18/5/11 Daddy taking a turn
enlarge 143KB, 640x442 49 18/5/11 Govan
enlarge 144KB, 640x425 50 18/5/11
enlarge 285KB, 640x480 51 19/5/11 Male is away wandering the River Clyde again :)
enlarge 253KB, 640x480 52 21/5/11 She was hungry today. Not so many people coming around due to the bad weather putting them off.
enlarge 158KB, 640x442 53 22/5/11 Still got 4 eggs. Hope they hatch a few days later as the weather is very wild
enlarge 198KB, 640x496 54 Wrong date on my digi camera. Oops! Impending gale force winds are upon them. 23/5/11
enlarge 179KB, 640x444 55 The caterer guy turned up today. 23/5/11
enlarge 145KB, 640x445 56 Threw down some of the broken branches from the gales. The wall is at least sheltering them a bit. 23/5/11
enlarge 129KB, 640x420 57
enlarge 174KB, 640x428 58 Baton down the hatches. In for a rough night. Very high tide now. Not been this close to them before :) 23/5/11
enlarge 220KB, 640x473 59 24/5/11
enlarge 168KB, 640x469 60 24/5/11
enlarge 129KB, 640x425 61 26/5/11 Calm and peaceful and winds have died down at last.
enlarge 153KB, 640x425 62 24/5/11
enlarge 2.79MB, 640x512 63 Short video First to arrive :) 28/5/11
enlarge 135KB, 640x436 64 Drying out 28/5/11
enlarge 134KB, 640x425 65 Other two nesrly out 28/5/11
enlarge 137KB, 640x425 66 One egg still to start hatching 28/5/11
enlarge 184KB, 425x640 67 Herring Gull waiting to pounce on the bread and the eggs if given half a chance. 28/5/11
enlarge 179KB, 640x425 68 Getting too close for comfort. 28/5/11
enlarge 119KB, 640x451 69 Second hatchling about two hours later. 28/5/11
enlarge 136KB, 640x485 70 29/5/11 3 bottoms :) Only got a quick peek this morning but trying to see if a fourth has hatched just under the beak of the Swan?
enlarge 153KB, 640x453 71 Hatchling 4 being tended to by mother. 29/5/11
enlarge 116KB, 640x425 72 Poor thing is off the nest. Don't know how it happened? 29/5/11
enlarge 158KB, 640x467 73 29/5/11
enlarge 134KB, 640x437 74 I don't see it getting back to the others. 29/5/11
enlarge 123KB, 640x434 75 Trying to shield from the cold. 29/5/11
enlarge 122KB, 640x466 76 Poor thing 29/5/11
enlarge 108KB, 640x467 77 29/5/11
enlarge 107KB, 640x451 78 29/5/11
enlarge 165KB, 640x425 79 At least the sun is keeping it warm. Shielded from the wind by the wall. 29/5/11
enlarge 157KB, 640x425 80 I wish I could reach and move it over to the main part of the nest. 29/5/11
enlarge 180KB, 640x425 81 I fear the worse. 29/5/11
enlarge 127KB, 640x425 82 Father with the other 3 cygnets 29/5/11
enlarge 138KB, 640x435 83 Quick breath of air. 29/5/11
enlarge 116KB, 640x433 84
enlarge 122KB, 640x464 85 Mother comes back to tend the fourth hatchling. 29/5/11
enlarge 168KB, 640x425 86 Mother nudging father off the nest. She should have left him there and tended the 4th hatchling as she was doing. 29/5/11
enlarge 174KB, 640x425 87 I returned at 7.30pm to see how it was doing. It died! 29/5/11
enlarge 175KB, 640x430 88 Only two feet from safety. 29/5/11
enlarge 183KB, 640x425 89 The male deserted the nest as he usually does come dusk. He stayed last night, but not tonight. 29/5/11
enlarge 89KB, 640x425 90 30/5/11 Good morning. Where are the other two?
enlarge 200KB, 640x434 91 30/5/11 Cygnet 2 at the back is struggling to get back on the nest.
enlarge 193KB, 640x425 92 Cygnet 1 manages to get up and down ok but Cygnet 2 struggles. 30/5/11
enlarge 200KB, 640x450 93 Cygnet two got in a tangle 30/5/11 No idea where the Cygnet 3 is?
enlarge 146KB, 640x425 94 Female tries to coax them in the water. 30/5/11
enlarge 181KB, 640x425 95 Mother was calling but they stayed with the father. If it just turned around it would have been free. 30/5/11
enlarge 15.96MB, 640x512 96 Mother calling Cygnets to water but they didn't go. 30/5/11
enlarge 175KB, 640x438 98 He seemed upset about something? Maybe heard another swan in the distance? 30/5/11
enlarge 158KB, 640x412 99 Because the father stayed, they stayed spelling doom for Cygnet 3. 30/5/11
enlarge 179KB, 640x425 100 Mother came back and Cygnet 1 followed her onto nest. Cygnet 2 still stuck. 30/5/11
enlarge 160KB, 640x449 101 I left for a few moments when a shower came. When I got back, Cygnet 2 ended up under here. He was to die after struggling to get out. Couldn't take any more photos as it was distressing to watch it slip it away. 30/5/11
enlarge 181KB, 640x425 102 Cygnet 1 went for a wander with father, feeling tired now, but joined mother later on the nest. 30/5/11
enlarge 159KB, 640x425 103 Dawn: Thank goodness Cygnet 1 has survived the cold night. 31/5/11
enlarge 153KB, 640x425 104 At last, it finally goes in the water :) Best photograph I ever took LOL 31/5/11
enlarge 125KB, 640x425 105 Let's hope next year will be better for them. 31/5/11
enlarge 91KB, 640x425 106 Lovely sight for sore eyes. 31/5/11
enlarge 81KB, 495x640 107 Protection of mother. 31/5/11
enlarge 48KB, 640x425 108 Father comes back to do his part. 31/5/11
enlarge 72KB, 640x425 109 Off they go. Wonderful sight. Just a pity the other 3 had not survived.
enlarge 33.03MB, 640x512 110
enlarge 103KB, 640x425 111 31/5/11
Sad to report that later in the day, the Last Cygnet died. It was on the float but don't know what happened?
