Feminine Chain Gang in a Sea of Grasses - MEGA Photos!

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Oh yay, a fencing party! I've been on many of those. lol It's looking real good, nice and secure. Your critters are going to appreciate all that fresh, luscious grass to roam and munch. I really enjoyed the pics of the swan girlies gliding through the greens. So beautiful.

Well, what a beautiful tale that was. I love your fencing, such secureness you provide, animals that are loved, I wonder if only they could understand, would it not be nice. That grass. The rains have done well for you and yours, lots and lots of fodder, how wonderful. Now bring that sun, and keep it for awhile too. I would like to know. Your area has a very short summer. Do you ever get the grass that all dries up, or does it remain green until the freezing comes? Just curious about that. I have a small patch of irrigated grass right infront of my chicken house entrance. Had I not watered it all the time, it would be brown. Grass grass requires to be irrigated, or it is gone, from what I can see around the end of this month. We have had so much rain, that the grass in the field out the back has remained nice and long, but with the horses grazing, won't be long before it is down to rubble. Just curious. Loved looking at those long black necks with the beautiful orange bills floating through the grassy areas. Aren't they so curious, and how cool is that!! Again, thanks for sharing. You are going to have a lovely new fenced area for critters. Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

Oh that's really cute, to see the girls going on a "walk about" Seeing just the heads and necks is really funny. Love your swans

Also love the stories that go with. Keep them coming.  

Too bad the fence helpers ( dogs & swans) didn't have hands to help. Those swans sure are nosy, lol Have they ever settled

in well.   They look like they came from a very good home, to an even better one. Lucky girls.

How are you going to figure out which ones to put in with the males? Or are the girls going to be able to pasture around the

males pens, until the "girls" make "their" pick? Anyway, this whole story is very, very interesting. Thank you.

Reminds me of working around here ... dogs, cats and cows all coming over to supervise.

Oh I meant to mention, Tara, I just love how Fixins is always in all your pictures. She surely is your lil' partner in crime. As is the other pooch, but always, see that beautiful pooch. Yes, following the stories of the swans, oh such beauty. I wonder if I ever will have a place again, wherein I could get the other fowl that I would so love to have again, such as back on the coast. I have memories, maybe that is what the rest of my life will be like, to live vicariously through others that have room for fowl of all manner. Those black swans sure have tickled me fancy   . I think I love black. I think black is a beautiful colour, and with black birds, that sheen of other colours, like the beetle green and purple. Oh, oh, oh, Tara, do these swans have any different colour sheen to them? You have never mentioned if they have the beetle green, or that purple sheen that I have seen on black birds. Is it there? Should it be there? Will it be there? Oh jeeze. Still looking at the party dress that I see these girls do have. Not so much as the boys back feathers, but the girls have it too. Will that get even more wavey looking as the girls mature. Geeze this is an exciting thread. Have a most beautiful day, CynthiaM.

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I didn't think the black swans had so many white feathers? But what do I know?

I have learned everything I know about Black Swans from "you" Lol. Sure am enjoying the journey too.

Well if you have a "Smoke" you will need a "Fire" for a mate.



Honestly, you need to print this all up as a Book, even a children's book. This "old" kid would buy one.  

I love the look on the dogs faces, especially when they think they've gotten too far away from the food. They really are in on

everything. AS Cynthia says, Black is beautiful. You don't realize how the gorgeous colour stands out until you see them

in that tall green grass. Write the Book, then get them a real big stock waterer, one of the big blue ones?

Wonder if they dive underwater? That would be beautiful to see. Keep this story and photos coming, it is Soooooo interesting.

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We had a big irrigation pond on our last place, before we moved off the Island.  It was 100 feet wide,x 150 long and 19 1/2 deep

But it was all fenced off with 6 foot high strong wire fence and a locking gate.


If we had it to do again, we would have put a small dock on it, plus left a bit of an Island.     We had ducks and geese on it.

I have never seen a Muscovy duck swim under water until then.  They loved it.   Our geese loved it too.  

WE had 2 very strange  things happen on that pond.  One we bought 3 Ruddy Shelducks from friends,  then sold them to someone in Qualicum beach area.   There was one pair and a single gander. About 3 months later, the lone gander flew in, all by himself.  We couldn't believe it.  But about a month later, an eagle swooped in and grabbed him, but hubby was over that way, and ran and got it away from the eagle.  It was just too injured though and died.  We really felt bad. Poor thing.  I didn't think Ruddy shelducks would do that?

The other strange thing was a friend gave us a big Toulouse gander, she was "given the pair" in the early summer, one day she went out to hear him calling, the hen was gone.
She felt so bad listening to him, that she gave him to us, to put on the pond with the other birds. Which we did, but he was still very lonely.
We used to go the Duncan auction ( when it was there) ALL the time, at the end of the summer, I went and was looking at the birds, and saw a female Toulouse there, last bird in the sale. So I waited for her, and paid a whole $3.00 for her.

Took her home, released her on the pond and she swam right to him, as he was swimming to her. It was his lost mate.
Nobody really thought it could be, but geese don't go and cuddle up that fast. I guess she was there for me, to take home and re-unite their love.

The lady that originally had given the pair to my friend came over and confirmed that was the goose. Strange things do happen.

Yes that's the kind of water trough I was talking about. But didn't realize you could have so much trouble with them. Well it was a thought anyway.

Saw lots of these guys in Australia - lovely birds. Just read this; thought it interesting.

"Like other swans, the Black Swan is largely monogamous, pairing for life (about 6% divorce rate). Recent studies have shown that around a third of all broods exhibit extra-pair paternity. An estimated one-quarter of all pairings are homosexual, mostly between males. They steal nests, or form temporary threesomes with females to obtain eggs, driving away the female after she lays the eggs.

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HigginsRAT wrote:Ah poor Rick...he comes home from work and just never ever knows what will be asked of him. Some days it is "Will you cut this metal fence panel because you told me I was not allowed to use power tools!" Good thing...me and the blue tools don't see eye to eye (oh my eye!). cyclops

Yesterday, it was..."Cindi wants to know if the Black Swans have a green or a purple sheen, so look at this feather and tell me what you see." Shocked

Oh boy, that poor fellow, involved in working on your awesome posts, poor fellow. So nice that you have that man that supports you, us and the craziness that lies in the understanding of fowl, smiling.

There may be something to his thoughts about the grey being a disguise for safety, we shall call it camoflauge (geeze, pulleeeeze! how do you spell that ding dang word anyways, sometimes things just escape me). Certainly, as you mention, white is a strong colour, no pigment, lots of room to make strength there, no colour to work on, just the making of white. I would think that may hold true about the grey undersides of the feathers to use as disguise. But interesting how no green nor purple sheen. I was looking at a black male cochin yesterday, feathering is becoming very beautiful, I saw lots of beetle green sheen and some purple too, but he is heading to abbatoir, along with some other fellows of his age soon. Don't need him, but such a nice table fowl.

Have a most wonderful day, CynthiaM.