Tag: swans

Silent Sunday: Six River Cygnets

a cob feeding in the river with three cygnets
pen sitting on her nest with two of her cygnets close by

It is lovely to see that six cygnets have hatched two days ago. The pen (mama swan) is still on the nest with three of her cygnets by her side (one out of view), whilst the cob (papa swan) is showing the other three where the best feeding places are.

We do not know how many eggs have not hatched yet and the parents are taking it in turns to sit on them and take their cygnets for a swim and feed.

Wishing you a blessed Sunday and a peaceful new week,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Silent Sunday

Haiku: Pink Dawn

sunrise over the river with pinks and blues reflected in the water

pink dawn
a swan family feeds
on the algae

© Xenia Tran

a pair of swans and their seven cygnets feeding from the exposed seaweed near the riverbank
a swan family feeding on algae at low tide on the river

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful new week,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge: Aquatic

Weekend Sky #54

Silent Sunday: River Swans and Cygnets

swan parents and their cygnets feeding in the river
a swan parent with six cygnets in the shallows of the river
a swan parent and seven of his cygnets feeding in the shallows of a tidal river

The swan family enjoy feeding on the plants in the river at high tide. The cygnets are now six months old and even the late developing cygnet is showing her first white feathers.

They’ve come a long way since their Welcome to the World.

The parents still seem content to have the cygnets around and they may not fledge until the new year.

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful new week,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Silent Sunday

Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge: Winter’s Day

Word of the Day Challenge: Content

Caring for River Wildlife

It is an honour and a great pleasure to contribute four photographs to the 2022 Calendar for the River Nairn Swans & Waterfowl Trust that cares for our local river wildlife.

The river meets the sea here and we are blessed with the regular company of our resident swan family, mallard ducks, mandarin duck, goosander, oystercatcher, herring gull, heron and occasional visits by redshank, cormorant, wigeon and seals hunting for salmon.

Joe Telfer from the River Nairn Swans & Waterfowl Trust cares for injured birds and orphaned ducklings until they are ready to be released back into the wild and provides extra food when it is needed.

Our local wildlife is a great inspiration to me and I’m delighted to be able to give something back.

Copies of the 2022 Calendar are available from River Nairn Swans & Waterfowl Trust, Nairn Bookshop and Strachans.

A special thank you to Iona Gibson for putting this beautiful calendar together.

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #160: Your Inspiration

CFFC: It’s a Small World

Silent Sunday: On a Bend in the River

The seven cygnets nesting on our river are ten weeks old today and the first white feathers are beginning to show.

You can see them at one week old in our earlier post Welcome to the World.

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful week ahead,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Silent Sunday

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge: The Bend

Wordless Wednesday: Building a Nest

a cob building a nest on a small river island with the pen feeding below
a cob building a nest on a small river island with the pen feeding below

Following on from our earlier post Swan Love, the cob (male swan) is building the nest whilst the pen (female swan) is feeding on extra minerals in the river below.

We wish you all a wonderful Wednesday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Settings: f/6.3 – 1/1000 s – ISO 200 and f/5 – 1/400 s – ISO 200.

Wordless Wednesday

Water Water Everywhere #72

Silent Sunday: Swan Love

a pair of swans bonding with the cob dipping under water
a pair of swans bonding with their necks entwined
a pair of swans bonding on the river
a swan pair bonding on the river

The last cygnet has finally fledged and the swan pair are busy bonding and mating on the windswept river.

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful week ahead,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Settings: f/6.5 – 1/200 s – ISO 100, f/5.6 – 1/1000 s – ISO 400 and f/5.6 – 1/250 s – ISO 100.

Silent Sunday

CFFC: Birds of all Kinds

Your Daily Word Prompt: Overture

Wordless Wednesday: New Feathers

a five month old cygnet and her mother on the river
three five-month old cygnets and their mother on the river

The cygnets on the river continue to grow and are five months old now. The parents have moulted and grown new feathers, looking in fine health too.

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday and a peaceful rest of the week,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Camera: Canon Powershot SX60 HS, Settings: f/6.5 – 1/500 s – ISO 400, f/5.6 – 1/200 s – ISO 125 and f/5.6 – 1/400 s – ISO 400.

Thank you Cee for honouring us with this post as a CFFC Featured Blogger!

CFFC Featured Blogger badge

Wordless Wednesday

Jez Braithwaite’s Water Water Everywhere #51

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: White or Cream Colors

Silent Sunday: Woodland Wander

a bird hide across a woodland pond
a pair of ducks swimming across a pond

Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday and a peaceful week ahead,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Camera: Canon Powershot SX60 HS, Settings: f/4 – 1/250 s – ISO 200, f/4 – 1/500 s – ISO 200 and f/5.6 – 1/125 s – ISO 400.

Silent Sunday

Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #114: Negative Space

Rag Tag Daily Prompt: Woodsy

Silent Sunday: Rippled Pond

close up of a preening swan
close up of a female swan's face

It was lovely to spend time with the pond swans again on our first return to the woods since the start of the pandemic.

Wishing you all a blessed Sunday and a peaceful week ahead,

with love from Xenia xxx

Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.

Camera: Canon Powershot SX60 HS, Settings: f/5.6 – 1/200 s – ISO 200 and f/5.6 – 1/160 s – ISO 200.

Silent Sunday

Jez Braithwaite’s Water Water Everywhere #43

One Word Sunday: Wet