Dirty duck

I'm not sure how I managed to justify a trip to Stratford with R today, given that I had enough stuff piled in my in-tray to keep me at my desk for a week, but anyway, it happened. We walked the long way into and then back out of town, so we got lots of steps, and we had coffee... and that was about it. There wasn't much to photograph at the river, and I wound up on the Black  Swan again - a bird which now seems to have taken up residence, and is still causing much interest and comment at the waterside. 

There's quite a good Wiki on the Black Swan if you'd like to know more about the species. The article notes that although it regularly breeds in the UK, it's not considered yet that this amounts to a self-sustaining population, and that it's therefore not included on the British List, as maintained by the British Ornithologists' Union. This despite the fact that the British Trust for Ornithology states that there is a breeding colony in Norfolk. Go figure.

It's interesting to read on the Wikipedia page that this swan is now considered to be nomadic, because I've been wondering, ever since it turned up in Stratford at the New Year, where it might have come from. If it's an escapee from a captive collection you'd think it would be ringed, but I haven't been able to spot an identification ring so far. On the other hand: a black bird, with black legs, in generally muddy water, isn't necessarily going to show off a leg ring too well, so I'll have to keep looking when I get the chance. If it's feral, it's most likely to be a youngster striking out from one of the established colonies in Norfolk, Buckinghamshire or Devon, though the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust states that there is also an introduced breeding population in the Netherlands, and suggests that on occasion individuals may visit the UK from there.