Haibun: The Love between Birds

 

a swan (cob) patrolling the river

 

It has been four weeks now, since his pen laid her eggs. While she is on the nest he keeps her safe, patrolling the river. From one bridge to the next, he sees that all is well. He greets familiar faces above the buttercups and shepherd’s purse, the fresh blades of grass. He looks so much better this year, more confident. People stroll along the river bank, to see how he is doing. We all want him to do well. Last year’s eggs never hatched. We are hoping that this year, things will be better.

temple blossoms
seagulls flock to guard
a sleeping swan

© Xenia Tran

 

seagulls watching over a sleeping swan (cob) on an outgoing tide

You can see images of his pen (female swan) on the nest in an earlier post ‘Nesting Swan‘. She raised 62 cygnets over the last nine years with her previous cob (male swan), before he passed away.

Update: on 17th May 2018 seven cygnets hatched – you can see the first images in our post New Life.

With love from Xenia xxx

 

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

 

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dVerse Poets Haibun Monday: Compassion

 

 

Author: Tranature - quiet moments in nature

The stories, poems and photographs on Tranature are the original creative work of Xenia Tran, inspired by the natural surroundings of the Scottish Highlands.

29 thoughts on “Haibun: The Love between Birds”

    1. Thank you Björn, they really do need each other and I love how the gulls watch over the sleeping cob and how, on other occasions, the swans babysit the seagull chicks :o)

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Jo, we are keeping our fingers crossed! :o) xxx

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  8. Beautiful, Xenia! Swans mate for life and mourn the loss of their partners. They are so faithful and it’s wonderful that the cob looks after the pen. I hope the eggs hatch.

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    1. Thank you Kim, we are very hopeful. She has really bonded with this cob and he seems a very kind soul :o) xxx

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    1. Thank you Sarah, we love how the different birds interact and how the seagulls give the cob a bit of ‘respite’ – they have a great community spirit :o) xxx

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    1. Thank you Dwight, we are perhaps lucky that we still see a lot of compassion where we are in a place where many continue to hold hands with the same person all their lives :o)

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Marina. The eggs are hatching this morning and we have seen five cygnets so far – there will be photographs and plenty of poems to follow their progress throughout the year! ☺💖 xxx

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  12. Pingback: Haiku: New Life – Tranature

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