Archive for Swans

Swans Again

Posted in Maynooth with tags , , , on October 30, 2024 by telescoper

Some time ago, back in July, I posted about the sad demise of one of the beautiful swans that had been nesting at the canal harbour in Maynooth. I used to walk along the towpath to work sometimes, but currently there is work being done to renovate the canal bank so I have got out of the habit of walking along there. A couple of days ago, however, a colleague sent me a photograph which reminded me to post an update:

Picture credit: Joost Slingerland

You will see that there are two swans once again. In fact there are three, as I shall explain.

First, contrary to what I said in my previous post, it was the male swan (cob) that died of an infection. The female swan (pen) was also very ill, and was taken aware to be nursed back to health by the team at Kildare Wildlife Rescue hence her temporary disappearance. She recovered, and was returned to the canal. However, a new pair of young swans – shown in the picture – moved in on the little island where the previous pair used to nest and drove off older pen. I’m told there wasn’t exactly a peaceful handover; it was more of a forcible eviction. The new swans will no doubt nest on the island, and perhaps raise cygnets next year, while the older one is usually to be found further along the canal, near the Mullen Bridge, apparently healthy but on her own.

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A Lamentation of Swans

Posted in Maynooth with tags , , , , , , , , on July 18, 2024 by telescoper
The Harbour Swans and their Island, pictured last April
Swans with cygnets, last May

I was looking forward to making acquaintance with the beautiful swans of Maynooth when my sabbatical is over, but I’ve heard that recent tragic events mean that won’t be happening. The title of this post is not a reference to the collective noun for swans, but literally a lamentation.

A pair of swans had been nesting for several years on the little island in the harbour of the Royal Canal at Maynooth for several years- since before I arrived here. Every spring they have raised a batch of cygnets and these have grown up each summer and departed for a new life elsewhere. I’ve always enjoyed watching the little ones grow and learn how to find food under the very watchful eye of their parents. I had no reason to think things would be any different this year. I was wrong.

The first calamity to occur, earlier this year, was that the island flooded destroying this year’s batch of eggs. The swans tried again, and managed two more cygnets, but neither survived. I’m not sure exactly what happened but it seems, various locks were opened to allow water into the section of the canal England has a much more extensive system of waterways than Ireland and when rivers are close to flooding, water is often diverted into canals to stop them breaking their banks. I guess this is what happened earlier, but I don’t know.

It was bad enough that there are no cygnets this year, but worse was to come. Recently the female swan (pen) was found to be very ill. She was taken away by Kildare Wildlife Rescue (KWR) team and cared for but sadly passed away. All I know is that it seemed to be “an infection” which may or may not be the same cause of death as the cygnets. Avian flu is a possibility, so is some form of poisoning such as botulism. Sadly, people do feed the birds in the harbour with inappropriate things so this might also be a contributing factor.

What about the male swan (cob)? Well, he has gone. I don’t know whether he died too or whether he just left. Swans mate for life and I’ve heard of cases when one of a pair has simply pined away when the other has died.

So there are no swans nesting in Maynooth anymore. It’s really very sad. Swans are beautiful creatures and the pair on the canal was really well known to the community. I hope that another pair will nest on the island before too long. It may even be that a pair of rescue birds will be rehomed there by KWR. Before that happens though, I hope they find out why exactly caused the swans to die. We don’t want more deaths

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Swan Update

Posted in Maynooth with tags , , on July 24, 2023 by telescoper

It has been not quite three months since I posted about the swans at Maynooth and, since I passed the family on the way in to work today I thought I’d give an update. Here they are on the left, compared with what they looked like in May.

July, at the harbour
May, at the harbour

You’ll notice two main differences.

One is that the cygnets are so much bigger, almost full size, although they still have their brownish colouring. They grow very quickly!

The other difference is that there are only six cygnets in the recent picture, while there were seven originally. It’s not unusual for one or two to fall by the wayside, but what happened in this case is that one of them had a damaged tail, and the others seemed to be bullying it. The wildlife people therefore decided that it was best to take it away, fix its injuries, and find it a home elsewhere. That was a few weeks ago. As far as I know, it survived.

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Swan Update

Posted in Maynooth with tags , , on May 4, 2023 by telescoper

Not long ago I posted an item about the swans of Maynooth, expressing anticipation of the forthcoming cygnets. Well, they have arrived at last; seven in total. Here’s a picture I took this morning near the harbour and one a couple of days ago further along the Royal Canal.

near the harbour
in midstream

The family probably won’t go far from their nest while the cygnets are very small, and the adults will stay very close to their little ones for quite a while, but soon they’ll be taking longer journeys and the youngsters will roam a little on their own. I spoke to two guys who work by the canal who have a little shed next to the harbour on the Royal Canal. They told me that when they’ve grown up a bit the cygnets regularly knock on the door of the shed to ask for food. They also warned me not to make any sudden movements near the Swan family, as Mr Swan can be very aggressive. All of them were very relaxed when I saw them, however.

P.S. It is interesting that the word “swan” is Germanic (cf. Schwann) while the word “cygnet” is via French cygne (cf. Latin cygnus, Greek κύκνος); the Irish word for “swan” is “eala”.

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The Swans of Maynooth

Posted in Maynooth with tags , on April 25, 2023 by telescoper
The Royal Canal near Maynooth, with Maynooth railway station in the background to the left.

Most mornings I walk to work at Maynooth University along a route that includes a short section of the towpath of the Royal Canal, roughly from the Mullen Bridge to Maynooth Harbour. There is a small island there which plays home to a pair of mute swans who have been nesting there at least as long as I’ve lived in Maynooth (more than five years). Swans mate for life and they’ve found a great spot there on the little island and have no reason to move.

I took the above picture as I walked in this morning. In the foreground, you can see the male swan (the cob) who is on patrol. If you look carefully you can see a splash of white on the island which is his partner, the pen, sitting on their nest. As you can see, the water in the canal is very clear, which made for an interesting combination of reflection and transmission. I don’t know the name of the plants that grow on the bottom of the canal, and would be grateful if anyone could enlighten me.

This time of year is particularly interesting on the canal because it is about now that the annual brood of cygnets will appear. The young will stay with their parents for the best part of a year then, suddenly, around March, they’re off to find their own way in the world and make room for the next generation.

Swans are bad-tempered at the best of times but when the eggs hatch and the chicks appear, the pen will become extremely aggressive. For most of the year, the swans tolerate other birds on their island, but when they have very young cygnets they are very protective, and regularly have a go at the other birds. Crows, herons and seagulls are a particular danger.

Anyway, they should hatch very soon now, and there’s always an overload of cuteness when they go for their first trip on the water on their mother’s back, like passengers on a stately galleon.

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