Those swans again ....

As it is Monday, you may have noticed that swans appear regularly on my journal on this day of the week. That is because I drive to pick up Helena from her second job of the day at the old Hope Mill industrial estate. I had time spare so I could get there early and I parked as usual at the bridge where the road into the estate crosses over the river.

I have remarked before about the two swans who own this stretch of the River Frome, and I've blipped them several times. Once I showed one of them attempting to bite my car, or at least that is what seemed to be happening when is comes up the front wing and uses ityas beak to apparently gnaw at the paintwork. as soon as I had parked today one of the swans climbed out of the water and walked up the bank the ten yards to where my car was parked and started its antics. I took a lot of pictures and think now that it is the reflections of itself that it is trying to attack. The second swan appeared too but it decided to just preen itself. When I approached them to take pictures they tolerated me but I could tell I wasn't welcome any closer.

I started to wonder of my car's paintwork was suffering so I got in and moved the car across the road. When I returned the swans had retreated to the water again, and I went to the bridge and stood looking at the currently much lower water levels since the heavy rains have finished. When I crossed to the upstream side I saw the swans had moved further away but when they saw me they sailed out on the swift current straight to wards me and the bridge. Then the leading swan took off and flew straight for me, and landed just below where I was standing on the bridge. You can see its eyes looking straight at me!

I took a lot of other pictures which I will gather into a gallery on flickr. The swan took off twice more in both directions and at one point they both flew together upstream, never very far. I think it is all part of their spring mating rituals and I might have been seen as a rival and the male needed to show its dominance. I will have to do a bit of research as I know so little of their behaviour or habits.

I have added some more pictures of these amazing wonderful creatures to this Flickr gallery.