Come in from Antipodes / Llegó de las Antípodas
Cubelles, Barcelona (Spain).
ENGLISH
The Black Swan, Cygnus atratus is a large waterbird which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. The Black Swan was formerly placed into a monotypic genus, Chenopis.
‘Swan’ is the common gender term, but ‘cob’ for a male and ‘pen’ for a female are also used, as is ‘cygnet’ for the young. Collective nouns include a ‘bank’ (on the ground) and a ‘wedge’ (in flight). Black Swans can be found singly, or in loose companies numbering into the hundreds or even thousands.
The Black Swan is common in the wetlands of south western and eastern Australia and adjacent coastal islands. In the south west the range ecompasses an area between North West Cape, Cape Leeuwin and Eucla; while in the east it covers are large region bounded by the Atherton Tableland, the Eyre Peninsula and Tasmania, with the Murray Darling Basin supporting very large populations of Black Swans.
The Black Swan is also very popular as an ornamental waterbird in Western Europe, especially Britain, and escapes are commonly reported. As yet the population in Britain is not considered to be self-sustaining and so the species is not afforded admission to the official British List, but the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust have recorded a maximum of nine breeding pairs in the UK in 2001, with an estimate of 43 feral birds in 2003/04 (though that is undoubtedly an under-estimate given the level of monitoring undertaken).
The black swan was a literary or artistic image, even before the discovery of Cygnus atratus. Cultural reference has been based on symbolic contrast and as a distinctive motif. The Black Swan's role in Australian heraldry and culture extends to the first founding of the colonies in the eighteenth century. It has often been equated with antipodean identity, the contrast to the white swan of the northern hemisphere indicating 'Australianess'. The black swan is featured on the flag, and is both the state and bird emblem, of Western Australia; it also appears in the Coat of Arms and other iconography of the state's institutions.
The reclaimed wetlands of the river Foix estuary have made this area into one of the main attractions of the town. The River Foix, which is dry during most of the year due to construction of the Foix Resservoir is another of the most emblematic places in Cubelles. At the Foix estuary, you can spend the day enjoying nature and birthwatching, or at one of the picnic areas. This zone is also intended for school visits, as it is a place where children can study the ecosystem of a Mediterranean river such as the Foix.
The estuary is separated from the sea by a sand barrier which has accumulated over time, due to sea currents and rainwater sediments, forming freshwater laguens behind the barrier. The natural area of the Foix Delta has a branch of land that sticks out into the sea. This was formed during the floods of 1994 and joins onto another branch, leaving an island in the middle. Tourists can visit the island by crossing a wooden footbridge.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Swan, www.cubelles.net/docs/20050211004068.htm
--------------------------------
CASTELLANO
El cisne negro, Cygnus atratus es endémico de Australia. Es común al este y oeste de este continente, no estando presente la parte árida central y del húmeda del norte. Es residente en Tasmania, criando en esta isla situada al sur de Australia.
No es migratoria pero se desplaza a grandes distancias, cientos de kilómetros, en busca de abundancia de alimento.
Introducido en Nueva Zelanda, donde se reprodujo de tal forma, que hubo que controlarlo. Actualmente existen unos 60.000 individuos.
Fue descubierto en 1697, y ha sido el favorito de los estanques ornamentales de Europa, y posteriormente de América. Pero no se ha asilvestrado en estos continentes.
Vive en lagos, incluyendo la costa marina y ocasionalmente en el mar lejos de tierra. Demuestra preferencia por los lagos pocos profundos, donde puede alcanzar la vegetación acuática del fondo, sumergiendo su cuello, aproximadamente de un metro de profundidad.
La recuperación de los espacios húmedos de la desembocadura del río Foix ha convertido la zona en una de las de mayor atractivo del municipio. El río Foix -que desde la construcción del pantano del Foix está la mayor parte del año seco- es otro de los elementos más emblemáticos de los cubellenses. En la desembocadura del Foix, además de poder pasar un día rodeado de la Naturaleza, se puede observar el comportamiento de las aves autóctonas de esta zona o disfrutar de las áreas de picnic. El espacio también está dirigido a las escuelas, que pueden visitar y estudiar el ecosistema de un río mediterráneo, como es el del Foix.
Su desembocadura está separada del mar por una barrera de arena acumulada por las corrientes marítimas y los depósitos pluviales, formando lagunas de agua dulce en su interior. El Espacio Natural del Delta del Foix, mantiene el brazo de salida al mar que se formó por las riadas de 1994, a la que se ha añadido un segundo brazo dejando una isla en el medio, conectada con la zona de entretenimiento a través de unas pasarelas de madera. Otra pasarela de madera sobre uno de los brazos del río, sirve de punto de observación del desarrollo natural de la desembocadura del Foix.
Fuentes: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus_atratus, www.cubelles.net/docs/20050211004073.htm
Come in from Antipodes / Llegó de las Antípodas
Cubelles, Barcelona (Spain).
ENGLISH
The Black Swan, Cygnus atratus is a large waterbird which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. The Black Swan was formerly placed into a monotypic genus, Chenopis.
‘Swan’ is the common gender term, but ‘cob’ for a male and ‘pen’ for a female are also used, as is ‘cygnet’ for the young. Collective nouns include a ‘bank’ (on the ground) and a ‘wedge’ (in flight). Black Swans can be found singly, or in loose companies numbering into the hundreds or even thousands.
The Black Swan is common in the wetlands of south western and eastern Australia and adjacent coastal islands. In the south west the range ecompasses an area between North West Cape, Cape Leeuwin and Eucla; while in the east it covers are large region bounded by the Atherton Tableland, the Eyre Peninsula and Tasmania, with the Murray Darling Basin supporting very large populations of Black Swans.
The Black Swan is also very popular as an ornamental waterbird in Western Europe, especially Britain, and escapes are commonly reported. As yet the population in Britain is not considered to be self-sustaining and so the species is not afforded admission to the official British List, but the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust have recorded a maximum of nine breeding pairs in the UK in 2001, with an estimate of 43 feral birds in 2003/04 (though that is undoubtedly an under-estimate given the level of monitoring undertaken).
The black swan was a literary or artistic image, even before the discovery of Cygnus atratus. Cultural reference has been based on symbolic contrast and as a distinctive motif. The Black Swan's role in Australian heraldry and culture extends to the first founding of the colonies in the eighteenth century. It has often been equated with antipodean identity, the contrast to the white swan of the northern hemisphere indicating 'Australianess'. The black swan is featured on the flag, and is both the state and bird emblem, of Western Australia; it also appears in the Coat of Arms and other iconography of the state's institutions.
The reclaimed wetlands of the river Foix estuary have made this area into one of the main attractions of the town. The River Foix, which is dry during most of the year due to construction of the Foix Resservoir is another of the most emblematic places in Cubelles. At the Foix estuary, you can spend the day enjoying nature and birthwatching, or at one of the picnic areas. This zone is also intended for school visits, as it is a place where children can study the ecosystem of a Mediterranean river such as the Foix.
The estuary is separated from the sea by a sand barrier which has accumulated over time, due to sea currents and rainwater sediments, forming freshwater laguens behind the barrier. The natural area of the Foix Delta has a branch of land that sticks out into the sea. This was formed during the floods of 1994 and joins onto another branch, leaving an island in the middle. Tourists can visit the island by crossing a wooden footbridge.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Swan, www.cubelles.net/docs/20050211004068.htm
--------------------------------
CASTELLANO
El cisne negro, Cygnus atratus es endémico de Australia. Es común al este y oeste de este continente, no estando presente la parte árida central y del húmeda del norte. Es residente en Tasmania, criando en esta isla situada al sur de Australia.
No es migratoria pero se desplaza a grandes distancias, cientos de kilómetros, en busca de abundancia de alimento.
Introducido en Nueva Zelanda, donde se reprodujo de tal forma, que hubo que controlarlo. Actualmente existen unos 60.000 individuos.
Fue descubierto en 1697, y ha sido el favorito de los estanques ornamentales de Europa, y posteriormente de América. Pero no se ha asilvestrado en estos continentes.
Vive en lagos, incluyendo la costa marina y ocasionalmente en el mar lejos de tierra. Demuestra preferencia por los lagos pocos profundos, donde puede alcanzar la vegetación acuática del fondo, sumergiendo su cuello, aproximadamente de un metro de profundidad.
La recuperación de los espacios húmedos de la desembocadura del río Foix ha convertido la zona en una de las de mayor atractivo del municipio. El río Foix -que desde la construcción del pantano del Foix está la mayor parte del año seco- es otro de los elementos más emblemáticos de los cubellenses. En la desembocadura del Foix, además de poder pasar un día rodeado de la Naturaleza, se puede observar el comportamiento de las aves autóctonas de esta zona o disfrutar de las áreas de picnic. El espacio también está dirigido a las escuelas, que pueden visitar y estudiar el ecosistema de un río mediterráneo, como es el del Foix.
Su desembocadura está separada del mar por una barrera de arena acumulada por las corrientes marítimas y los depósitos pluviales, formando lagunas de agua dulce en su interior. El Espacio Natural del Delta del Foix, mantiene el brazo de salida al mar que se formó por las riadas de 1994, a la que se ha añadido un segundo brazo dejando una isla en el medio, conectada con la zona de entretenimiento a través de unas pasarelas de madera. Otra pasarela de madera sobre uno de los brazos del río, sirve de punto de observación del desarrollo natural de la desembocadura del Foix.
Fuentes: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus_atratus, www.cubelles.net/docs/20050211004073.htm