Swans - Free ranging in the pond - breeding preparations

[flgardengirl]

Gorgeous!

 

[waterdog]

Blacks will normally breed from December to March and Mutes from April to June here in Michigan. We have tried rafts and placed nesting material on shore and they have never used anything we put out for them, they always find a spot of there own choosing and move whatever material they can find to build a mound which they nest on.

 

[smoothmule]

Update, Matilda died suddenly. I was horrified, nothing had harmed her, it was as though she just laid on the bank and went to sleep. She had done fine this winter, coming with Barry to the yard when I did chores to be fed then returning to the big pond. I have no idea what happened.

I was determined that Barry would not be lonesome again so I just paid the money..... quite a bit more than I paid for Barry, and had "Rachel" shipped to us. She arrived this morning. I had no idea there would be such a difference in the greetings. When Matilda arrived, Barry was friendly and gave her space and she and he developed a "friendship" which was all I wanted, companions.

Well, when Rachel was out of the box, she immediately waddled to the edge of the pond, Barry was already there waiting for her. He had become quiet the pet the past year, knows his name and comes to me when I call. Well, I was hopeful, but the greeting was more than I could have hoped for, Rachel and Barry immediately came together, talking and doing that dance in the water that Mutes are known for with their heads together making a heart shape with their necks. They are already inseparable. Rachel had a long 2 day trip to get here and she stretched out and sailed across the larger pond. They would be quite a distance apart, and then as though they suddenly realized they were separated, they would swim towards each other like they were in a hurry. Rachel has already come up to eat when I fed Barry at the waters edge. I'm so sad to have lost Matilda but a huge sigh of relief seeing Barry and Rachel so happy.

I don't know what's next. Do they bond quickly enough that they might nest this year? They had both lost mates, Barry has been single 3 or more years and Rachel at least a year. They are both 8 yrs old. Should I provide nesting material near the ponds edge in case they decide to nest?


Here are Barry and his new mate Rachel. They have the large pond and the smaller pond, Barry uses both. I would love if they would nest at the smaller pond in the yard.

 

[smoothmule]

Here is Barry in the small pond in my back yard, taken just a few days ago. I actually think he was getting to be too much of a pet. He was right there under me all the time when I was outside. He would sit outside of the shed where I brood my chicks and even banged on the door with his bill. He was "really" needing a mate

and it didn't need to be me, although I enjoyed sitting on the rocks at the edge of the pond and Barry coming right up to me to eat from a small bucket with water and corn in it. He was too dependent on me, I may eat those words when he and Rachel run me off from the pond later on.......LOL

 

[hz0nqb]

Beautiful swans! I have a friend that lives 45 min away that has a black & white pair that raise cygnets each year. Sometimes they are mottled, black and white, and then some come out blue or silver in color.

Best of luck this spring.

 

[AnimalsRmyLife]

@smoothmule Your swans are beautiful! I wish I was able to be around swans more. Hope all goes well with them in the near future!

 

[smoothmule]

Hoping they are bonded now that they have been together almost a year. We're enclosing the back yard for them, the pond in the pictures above is in the back yard. They made a jaunt to the neighbors pond this fall and stayed about a month then returned home so I don't want them to wander during breeding season. I have chicken wire that I'm putting on the lower part of the pipe rail fencing to the back, some panels that will enclose them on the south side and there is privacy fence and some panels they can't get through on the north. They will have about a half acre with a pond so I hope that suits them this spring. This will also allow me to monitor them better and be able to catch the cygnets for banding, blood type for DNA to sex them and to pinion them. Once they're large enough, we'll let them all out to the big pond at the edge of the yard. We have no turtles in the small pond, turtles are death to young cygnets. Last year, a neighbor had all the cygnets taken one by one on his large pond as did the pair at the city park in Bolivar.....their pond is teaming with turtles and I plan to try to work a deal out with them if their swans set another batch and I think they will. If I can buy them as soon as they hatch, they might have a chance here.

I'll post updates as I prepare for them to "hopefully" nest and everything after that.

 

[AnimalsRmyLife]

Hoping they are bonded now that they have been together almost a year. We're enclosing the back yard for them, the pond in the pictures above is in the back yard. They made a jaunt to the neighbors pond this fall and stayed about a month then returned home so I don't want them to wander during breeding season. I have chicken wire that I'm putting on the lower part of the pipe rail fencing to the back, some panels that will enclose them on the south side and there is privacy fence and some panels they can't get through on the north. They will have about a half acre with a pond so I hope that suits them this spring. This will also allow me to monitor them better and be able to catch the cygnets for banding, blood type for DNA to sex them and to pinion them. Once they're large enough, we'll let them all out to the big pond at the edge of the yard. We have no turtles in the small pond, turtles are death to young cygnets. Last year, a neighbor had all the cygnets taken one by one on his large pond as did the pair at the city park in Bolivar.....their pond is teaming with turtles and I plan to try to work a deal out with them if their swans set another batch and I think they will. If I can buy them as soon as they hatch, they might have a chance here.

I'll post updates as I prepare for them to "hopefully" nest and everything after that.

Good idea! If they get out and roam, you never know what kind of mischief they'd get into. Especially during breeding season!

 

[hz0nqb]

When my swans go to the nest it's time to set the turtle traps. Several years ago I lost a cygnet to a turtle, none since!

 

[josebeth1]

But the problem with setting turtle traps when the swans go to nest is that here at least, in NE Ohio, the turtles aren't in our pond yet! At least not the dangerous snappers. We have loads of lovely painted turtles, but they're not the threat.

Female snappers go "on the move" here--like clockwork--in June as they look for good, sandy places to nest and often travel very far from their usual water. Not only are our cygnets usually about a month old at that time, but we also have to worry about the snappers cutting through our pastures with our very curious alpacas as well! When I see the alpacas out there all clustered around something, I go running!!

Before June, I'm reasonably sure every year that our pond is free of the nasty reptiles. We have rabbit fencing around the pond and they can't get through that, but there is one spot where the badly excavated pond always overflows the fence line and I think that's how one gets in once in a while. The other difficulty with this whole subject is that snappers tend to prefer hanging out below the water in the murkier areas of the pond and rarely sunbath. So catching a glimpse of one isn't so easy either! Once in 9 years I saw one get up on the swans' platform and sunbath and once I looked out the window at exactly the right moment to see one trying to climb the rabbit fence to get out. Last year, I pulled into the drive to find one crossing the front yard heading for the pond! My car and I were very brave, holding that 2 ft diameter turtle at bay till my old-time trapper and saviour came and helped me get her into the garbage can! He said she made for a great soup dinner a few days later. I am so lucky I made friends with this gentleman some years back (the first trapper I called almost got Delilah killed!). This man is going on 90 years old and has an absolute wealth of knowledge in that brain of his regarding our local wildlife. I could listen to his stories for days, and love learning from him.

I'm not sure what the timing for snappers' breeding movement would be in Missouri where Cathy is, but I'd sure be calling the local Fish & Wildlife people to find out! It's bad enough to think of feet getting chomped, but my greatest nightmare is one of those little heads (or even the big heads of Samson & Delilah) getting it while underwater. It's hard enough under ideal conditions to get these little guys grown up and healthy and happy! The right trap and bait is usually very effective (not a hook & line rig!), but even after we get a turtle trapped and out, we still keep the trap up and well-baited till we get a few weeks of no more action since snappers do tend to be so elusive.

Hope this helps some!
Beth

Crias del Cielo Alpaca Farm
Hudson, OH