http://www.flickr.com/photos/39585299@N05/tags/swans/ Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:08:29 -0700 Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:08:29 -0700 http://www.flickr.com/ http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2422/buddyicons/39585299@N05.jpg?1245378028#39585299@N05 http://www.flickr.com/photos/39585299@N05/tags/swans/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/39585299@N05/6905656996/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/39585299@N05/">cocoesperanza</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39585299@N05/6905656996/" title="Abbotsbury Mute Swan Sanctuary ..."><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7247/6905656996_1e7e596efa_m.jpg" width="240" height="166" alt="Abbotsbury Mute Swan Sanctuary ..." /></a></p> <p>All the birds here are free flying ... <br /> The lagoon is long and at one end is extremely brackish with the salt water from the sea ...Several miles along the water and the natural local water springs feed into the lagoon and make not only hospitable for the swans but it is lso a wonderful place for the eelgrass to grow which assists in the provision of food for the swans.<br /> Here at the Sanctuary, nesting material is grown and placed usefully for the nesting although the birds do their own housekeeping and structural changes... <br /> The birds are part of an assist feeding programme where additional food is supplied and also ' private space ' nesting areas with water are structured for birds with issues of safety from other swans... <br /> The eggs are produced from February and the cygnets hatch from early May...<br /> The only serious predatory threat comes from the air usually from crows and black backed gulls when the cygnets are still very young... Problems from wildlife on the land are rare.<br /> The rings on the bird legs show that most are from this very area but many do come from two other main locations...<br /> I hope to return in May...not long now.<br /> <br /> Welcome - a Series of Four Photos in the Photo Stream....</p> Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:08:29 -0700 2012-03-21T15:38:09-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (cocoesperanza) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/6905656996 Abbotsbury Mute Swan Sanctuary ... <p>All the birds here are free flying ... <br /> The lagoon is long and at one end is extremely brackish with the salt water from the sea ...Several miles along the water and the natural local water springs feed into the lagoon and make not only hospitable for the swans but it is lso a wonderful place for the eelgrass to grow which assists in the provision of food for the swans.<br /> Here at the Sanctuary, nesting material is grown and placed usefully for the nesting although the birds do their own housekeeping and structural changes... <br /> The birds are part of an assist feeding programme where additional food is supplied and also ' private space ' nesting areas with water are structured for birds with issues of safety from other swans... <br /> The eggs are produced from February and the cygnets hatch from early May...<br /> The only serious predatory threat comes from the air usually from crows and black backed gulls when the cygnets are still very young... Problems from wildlife on the land are rare.<br /> The rings on the bird legs show that most are from this very area but many do come from two other main locations...<br /> I hope to return in May...not long now.<br /> <br /> Welcome - a Series of Four Photos in the Photo Stream....</p> cocoesperanza england spring swans dorset nesting cygnusolor abbotsburyswannery specanimal muteswansanctuary