Pictures of Mute Swan: How Swans Attack: Pictures of Busking Swan Pictures

How Swans Attack

The Mute Swan: Grace, Elegance, Power & Aggression

Mute swan in busking pose

 Bird pictures by AnnMackieMiller

This photo journal features unique pictures of a male Mute swan in attack mode which is called busking. The mute swan is a common sight in rivers, canals and lakes throughout Britain. Everyone likes to see a swan in full sail with wings extended. However, how many birders are aware that this is actually a threat pose?

Mute Swans Mating Ritual

Mute Swans Mating Ritual 

Swan love - mute swans by annmackiemiller

Photo journal: A courtship display between two mute swans

Sometimes it is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time - with a camera. One morning, on a visit to Leeds, I spotted a pair of mute swans on the canal. I thought I would just take a couple of shots but was awed by what I witnessed for the next quarter of an hour or so. I watched a synchronised mating ritual. These are the photos, they are not very good quality I'm afraid but I still think they are worth publishing here. I hope you enjoy your visit.

Mute swans tend to mate for life although they will find a new partner if one dies. Their displays of affection are obvious if you take the time to watch them. They will greet each other by rubbing bills and necks and giving their distinctive 'cough' sound. I had seen that before but was taken by surprise by the tenderness of the courtship I saw here.

All the images on this page are by the author of the page AnnMackieMiller and may not be copied.

Adult Mute Swans

Adult male swans

Source: Photography by annmackiemiller

A swan's courtship

I learned a great deal on that one day. I was on my way to a small nature reserve which sits alongside the canal in Leeds and going over a bridge I spotted two adult mute swans on the bank. When I stopped to look, they were preening themselves and I didn’t think much about it, thought I would snap a couple of pictures and that would be fine.

What happened next took me by surprise. I didn’t know male swans had anything to do with building the nest and to be honest I am still not convinced they do much in practical terms. Swans nests are untidy things, a raised jumble of twigs and grass usually. On the bank, slightly away from the nest, I noticed the male had started to pluck out grass and drop it behind him, not really building a nest, more showing the female he was a good provider perhaps.

After a few minutes of that, they both took to the water and what a ballet! The female is only slightly smaller than the male and sits nicely alongside him, you can mostly tell the difference by the size of the knob on the head.

This pair then spent the next 15 minutes in an intimate dance, bobbing and stretching their necks, intertwining and moving alongside or opposite each other. I don’t think I have ever seen anything quite so elegant from what are fairly large birds that are ungainly on land. I just wish I had, had a video.

Swans Grooming and Nesting

When I arrive both swans were on the bank grooming themselves. I didn't think much about it until the male started pulling bits of grass then sitting in what was obviously meant to be a nest before taking to the water.

Adult mute swans grooming

'getting ready for a date'

Male mute swan starts pulling grass for nesting material

mute swan pulling grass for nesting - more symbolic than practical

When they took to the water I was treated to the most amazing sight. They spent the next quarter of an hour or so swimming beside each other, moving there heads and necks in sync, then intertwining them before mating.

Mr and Mrs mute swan

mute swans in sync

mute swans mating display
dipping the head into the water like this is part of their courtship display

From swimming alongside each other they move to facing each other.
 Mute swans mating display

Mute swans in courtship display

mute swans intertwining necks in mating display

Mute swans in mating display

adult mute swans

Lovers
Mute swans

Mute swans intertwine necks and rub along each other in displays of affection

' I luvs ya!'

Okay so mating was over in an instant and I didn't envy the female much, but before and after showed real affection between a pair that are mated for life. What a privilege to witness it.

Mating mute swans

mute swans after mating
'I luvs you too'

Mute Swans
Sailing off into the sunset

Facts about Mute Swans

• Firstly, they aren't really mute - they do make sounds, most often a soft 'cough', hisses and grunts.
• They are the most common type of Swan in the UK and are protected by the Crown. It is said that the Queen 'owns' all mute swans and there is an annual swan count in London every year.
• You will find them on most places with open water: rivers, canals, large ponds and lakes.
• They usually nest in the same place every year once their territory is established. They will lay 2-8 eggs and the female is the only one to sit on the nest with the male running protection.
• They tend to be rather territorial and a pair, especially the male, will 'see off' any intruders. They will tolerate their own year old cygnets but only until they hatch a new brood.
• Both parents care for the youngsters once hatched and you can sometimes see them riding on an adult's back when very young.
• Once they reach maturity, the female will take the juveniles on a journey showing them more places to feed and possible near territories.

Birdwatching along Bingley Canal

Along the canal - my 6 feathered families

'what ya doing?" white mallard duck by annmackiemiller

This page takes a look back at the "Fowl Tales", a collection of photo journals featuring British birds taken by me here in Yorkshire. I particularly love wildfowl. These are all photographs of my favourite families taken last year on a small stretch of the Leeds to Liverpool canal, near Bingley, West Yorkshire, England. This is also something of an anticipatory lens, I can't wait to see what I find to photograph every year.

Some people feel the need to travel to exotic locations to photograph birds, but there is plenty to see and learn around your own neighbourhood. All you need is a camera, a notebook and a willingness to venture out in all weathers. Personally, I love to be able to tell a story with my pictures and there is no better way to do that than by observing the birds day by day. I hope you enjoy sharing my journey.

6 Wildfowl Families Along Bingley Canal

There were several waterfowl families that captured my imagination last year.

In their pecking order:

• Grumps and Lady: mute swans who had seven cygnets
• The Canada Geese who had seven goslings
• Greenhill Geese: White domestic geese with only four goslings
• Mama Mallard: a golden-coloured mallard duck who produced 15 ducklings
• Smudge the white mallard duck
• Micklethwaite Moorhens: a mating pair of moorhens at Micklethwaite Wharf who produced two broods

Mute Swans

mute swans with cygnets by annmackiemiller

Two mute swans have been breeding at this site for many years. Lady is his second mate after his first mate was killed by foxes. Grumps is probably about 17 years old and definitely believes he rules the canal. He regularly chases everything off the canal, he seems to particularly hate the Canada Geese.

7 mute swan cygnets

'Lady' the mute swan with cygnets by annmackiemiller

Swans mate for life, Grumps' first mate died and this is his new love called Lady. They had seven cygnets.

Canada Geese

Canada Geese and Goslings by annmackiemiller
Parents keep watch as the goslings feed

 Of the six visiting Canada geese on our Greenhill, there was one mating pair. They produced seven goslings who all survived. They tend to be quite aggressive but can’t stand up to the mute swan. One day in particular Grumps kept them penned in on the wooden workings of the swing bridge.


The folk who own the flats alongside the canal were fortunate to have these little gardeners keeping the grass short.

'On the water' Adult Canada goose with goslings on water

'Keeping it together' Canada Geese Goslings

Greenhill Geese: Embden Geese

'That tickles!' Embden geese with goslings

We have a resident flock of geese who live on our Greenhill- actually it is four small flocks. They are mainly white domestic geese, combining Emden and Toulouse geese, a single China goose and some hybrids that have mated with greylag geese. The gaggle started as escapees from local allotments, now gone wild. At their most there were 70. Of these only four goslings were born last year: one to one family and three to another. What was interesting was that the three chicks were cared for by three geese, mother and father and a beta female.

'follow the butt'
Goslings and adult Embden goose on water

'keep off!' Adult Embden goose protecting young

Mallard Ducks

female mallard duck by annmackiemiller

Mama Mallard is a golden-coloured mallard duck who produced 15 ducklings last year. Included in the brood was one golden chick. There is a really high mortality rate among chicks so sadly only 5 survived to adulthood. I was delighted that the little yellow duckling grew up to be a beautiful little white duck.

mallard ducklings

yellow mallard duckling

mallard ducklings

Smudge the White Mallard Duck

Smudge, mate and ducklings

White mallard ducks are fairly common and Smudge is a white duck with a dark smudge on her head. She and her mate had an early brood which they both looked after but they abandoned after about 3-4 weeks old. Incidentally they were adopted by another mother.

It is unusual for mallards to have a single partner but Smudge is the exception. Her mate is recognisable because he lacks the usual white ring around his neck.

What was interesting was that a few weeks later Smudge inserted her way into another mallard brood and eventually both females looked after the two surviving ducklings.

mallard ducklings

Smudge and her ducklings by annmackiemiller

Micklethwaite Moorhens

moorhens and nest

This was a delightful family of moorhens to watch from nesting their first brood to caring for their second. Of the first brood had eight chicks. All grew into juveniles and then one chick appeared from a second brood. The juveniles and the adults all cared for the tiny bug-eyed chick. Sadly he didn’t survive.

This family build their nest out into the canal giving me a great chance to watch them over a prolonged period.

'in the nest' adult moorhen with chicks on the nest

'Feed me Feed me' Adult moorhen with chick

I've written about these families extensively over on hubpages - you can see the photo journals and others there - AnnMackieMiller on Hubpages.

Where to find photo journals on these families

Mute Swans	Canada Geese	Greenhill Geese	Mallard Ducks	Smudge the Little White Duck	Moorhens
Grumps Swan Pictures Busking	Canada Geese Goslings	Mating Behaviour China Goose The First Goslings Watching Goslings In Flight 3 in a Bed How Geese Nest The Goose Who Can Do Canoe Rolls	Ducklings Behaving Badly The First Ducklings	& the Fat Ball The Little White Duck	Watching Moorhens Nest Building Rebuilding the Nest The First Chicks Another Moorhen Nest

Welcome to my new blog: Watching Bingley Birds

As you will gather, I am a keen birdwatching and photographer.  I prefer water birds and am lucky enough to live near the Leeds to Liverpool canal, near Bingley in West Yorkshire, England. 

This year I plan to document in words and photographs the wonderful array of birds in this part of the world.  I am particularly interested in bird behaviour so I hope I can capture the essense of what makes these creatures tick.

To start I need to introduce you to my neighbourhood.  There are three main areas I tend to go to most around here:

The Leeds to Liverpool canal at the bottom of my road - this is a stretch less than two miles long but teeming with life.  For me it starts at the top of the Five Rise Locks at Bingley.  This is a series of locks that raise and lower barges and canal boats.  Yorkshire is hilly - and the canal was a major feat of engineering in tackling how to get these heavy industrial boats up and down the hills.  You can read more about the canal in my lens on Squidoo -  Walking the Towpath
This stretch of canal is the most important for me but I do visit other stretches of the canal so will include sightings along there from time to time.

Coppice Pond on the St Ives Estate, Bingley - this is a large estate near Bingley that is now open to the public.  On part of it is the Coppice Pond, home to a large flock of Canada geese as well as coots, moorhens and so on.  The ranger has set up a feeding station for woodland birds so I often go up to watch them and the squirrels.

Myrtle Park in the centre of Bingley - this public park has the Aire River running through it.  So far I haven't studied the wildlife there much but mean to rectify that this year.

I spend most of my time at the canal.  Last year I was lucky enough to follow several wildfowl families through the breeding season with all the ups and downs that entailed.  I produced several small photobooks of their stories on Blurb.com and make several lenses on Squidoo.  This year, I mean to do even better and this blog is the start.  Part of it will be a diary in words and pictures, and part will be articles on the various birds I come across.  I may even throw in a little history now and then!

You can find the complete list of my storybook photography lenses that cover last year's stories of my favourite wildfowl families CLICK HERE - on Squidoo

A Tale of Two Swans by AnnMackieMiller | Make Your Own Book