Swan pair building a "spare" nest
They have a perfectly good nest on the other side of the pond, but on this rainy afternoon they must have thought a spare nest would be a good thing. (Or maybe they were practicing their nest-building skills.) The new location, though, is right next to a picnic area so they are not likely to end up using it.
"Nest an open bowl in a large mound of aquatic vegetation, grasses, and rushes, lined with softer vegetation and a little down. Usually placed on mound on bank, island, or reed bed." - www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mute_Swan/lifehistory
Here is a video I made of the "event." www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG-AEyBGu6g I got a kick out of applying Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Swans" - it adds a little drama, don't you think?
Swan pair building a "spare" nest
They have a perfectly good nest on the other side of the pond, but on this rainy afternoon they must have thought a spare nest would be a good thing. (Or maybe they were practicing their nest-building skills.) The new location, though, is right next to a picnic area so they are not likely to end up using it.
"Nest an open bowl in a large mound of aquatic vegetation, grasses, and rushes, lined with softer vegetation and a little down. Usually placed on mound on bank, island, or reed bed." - www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mute_Swan/lifehistory
Here is a video I made of the "event." www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG-AEyBGu6g I got a kick out of applying Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Swans" - it adds a little drama, don't you think?