Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
16 October 2009
13:0330642This guy was swimming about in the sea this morning friday and causing a bit of interest among the general populace...but what is it?? I cant tell..
step forward our experts
Not a hugely sharp picture as a bit of a way off but tried to get a good shot.
I can tell you one thing tho its not that Loch Ness type monster thats been seen lurking in the harbour on nights of the full moon.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
16 October 2009
13:0430643Looks like a young swan to me given the length of the neck, but I do not pretend to be an expert, Phil? over to you...
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
16 October 2009
13:4130645Too late Paul, you`ve blown it. Could have had millions of tourists to Dover to see a baby Nessie.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
16 October 2009
14:0730648YES it is a young swan born about June will stay with his mum afew more weeks yet,then the mum will be geting rid of him so she can rest then build anew nest ready for the next ones which could be up to six in number.
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
16 October 2009
14:5830651A cygnet, more than likely a Mute Swan.
Your right about the birth month Vic but the parents won't nest again until next year when they return from wherever they migrate to, British swans usualy fly to russia for the winter.
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
16 October 2009
15:0030653Not a red swan then?
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
16 October 2009
17:2030663The Swans I keep my eyes on ,stay there all the year round and build a nest around the old one and they are doing some of that at this time,this will be 3times that this pr have had young,and each time they have moved the young off when they reach the right age.
When it is time for the young to go is when I try to feed them all and mum and dad will keep the rest away,what they are telling "Time to make your own way in life."
Each year is the same.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
16 October 2009
17:4330666This poor guy is still floating up and down the seafront...is he lost or too tired to travel on. Its getting dark now
Gosh Ive just had another look and a massive great hawk landed on my window sill...its all happening here. I feel like an intrepid explorer!!
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
16 October 2009
17:5030667
Here is the Hawk..I grabbed my oul Nikon but unfortunately it was on long distance mode so the picture isnt great, by the time I adjusted the magnificent creature was gone..aaah shame. But lovely to see. He had a good look indoors for some reason, maybe he was sizing me up for his next dinner!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
16 October 2009
18:2130669you're lucky being high up paul, those balconies must be a great vantage point for birds(not only pigeons).
you must get the odd kestrel?
even a well balanced one sometimes.
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
16 October 2009
18:4930671It's a shame about the picture quality boss but from the dark face markings it's either a Peregrine or a Hobby falcon, both leaving the country this time of the year for Africa, you are very lucky to see either so close.
Vic I don't know what youv'e been looking at but one pair of swans will have one brood a year, up to eight eggs.
Howard, is there no limit to your humour.
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
16 October 2009
19:0130674Thanks for that info Ian, what struck me was the size of him...quite big. He fills the frame as it were of the smaller window, so quite large in relative terms. Gosh Im quite thrilled now...now that you tell me how rare they are. Great shame about the picture..it was getting dark at the time. I boosted the picture to make it look brighter. But the whole thing took me by surprise.
I had been taking pictures about 20 mins earlier of the ferries and the lens was in the wrong setup. I didnt have a chance to do much about it. I was actually in mid post of number 8.
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
16 October 2009
19:1130676Ah well there ya go, if he was a big bugger then it was definitely a Peregrin Falcon.
The fastest animal in the world, in a dive it can reach a speed of 160mph and I have been very fortunate to see this at close quarters, It took my breath away as it dove and swooped about 6 feet from the ground. AWSOME.
I forgot to ask Boss, do you know the difference between a wild goose and a tame goose?
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
16 October 2009
19:3130683Wow! well I never..a peregrine falcon. Thrilling.
Yes the difference between a tame goose and a wild one is as follows. The tame one runs round the farmers yard all day, cackling away merrily, having the life of Reilly with three squares a day laid on. He has a great oul life until Thanksgiving or Christmas, at which time his goose is well and truly cooked!! The wild one migrates back and forth to foreign lands and has to fend for himself. He generally makes good visual photographs while posing in flight for nature TV crews!!
Was that the right answer!??lol!
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
16 October 2009
19:4030686Very slow off the mark there Boss, I'll tell yer at the party.
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
16 October 2009
19:4530687wild geese are less fatty than the tame ones.so for the healthy eaters on here get a wild goose[ing].
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
16 October 2009
21:1530708I made a posting a couple of years ago similar to this subject, it was in the national papers. do any of you remember?
A bird of prey was shot and wounded over mid Kent. ( the bird was tagged and chipped). when released it was in the time zone of it's emigration to Africa.
To do this it had to go through Spain which had just started it's shooting season.
After it's long recovery it flew over Spain and was shot down again and killed as reported in the news papers at the time.
So many countries have an ignorance of wild life laws it's just unbelievable.
and then you wonder why so many species are dying out.
Nearly ALL of our wild birds that emigrate Have to fly over Spain Via Gibraltar, should they enforce their shooting laws or revise them?
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
16 October 2009
21:2730710Ian I do not know what you are geting at.I know that.They have eggs once ayear,I did not say they had more.The ones I feed each week had six this year it maybe more or less next year.The good thing this year they had six and it not get any of them killed by foxs etc.one year they lost them all even a dog had two.I found one on the bank,I year some one took the eggs. But this year it all went well.
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
16 October 2009
21:4530715I do apologies Vic.
I find it very hard to read your postings at times and have just read your post again. once again I apologies.
Try and space your bits and pieces out a bit more. I'm not an expert at any of this but try and think about who is reading it, it may help.
Sorry.
Ian...
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
16 October 2009
21:4730716ian raises a good point about the shooting of migrant birds.
a lot of birds fly over malta on the way south never get past malta, just a hobby to the locals.
same with parts of southern italy.
we are all in the EU now, surely protection of our feathered friends should be of paramount importance?
grouse excepted, posh b has to have a hobby.