Mute swan - Cygnus olor
Photographed on harts Creek, Lake Ellesmere.
Protected introduced species. Lake Ellesmere is one of their strongholds and they used to number in several hundreds there. But the population crashed in 1968 following severe storm damage to their main breeding area and the wild population is now estimated at only 80 or so birds at Ellesmere. There are small populations on park ponds in other parts of the country and another very small wild population at Hawkes Bay.
Mute swan - Cygnus olor
Photographed on harts Creek, Lake Ellesmere.
Protected introduced species. Lake Ellesmere is one of their strongholds and they used to number in several hundreds there. But the population crashed in 1968 following severe storm damage to their main breeding area and the wild population is now estimated at only 80 or so birds at Ellesmere. There are small populations on park ponds in other parts of the country and another very small wild population at Hawkes Bay.