Holiday pics: Cygnets

[vilakins]

Second lot of holiday pictures--cygnets!

.
Seven fluffballs with two adult black swans, one of which is diving for weeds for the babies


One baby got weed draped over him; it wriggled free after a couple of minutes


Cygnets and interesting reflections


Just a shot across the boat harbour showing the intense blue of the water


Several days later, the cygnets have grown; their necks are longer and they're feeding themselves


That's not Headless Nick the swan; its head is underwater. :-)

And now there will be a break while I sort out the Art Deco ones. No more picspamming for a while. :-)

Comments

[vandonovan.livejournal.com]

Ah, some of these are really great. I love the last one, and the one with the neat reflections. You've captured some impressive colors in them. I love seeing the babies growing. :D

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It was surprising how much they'd grown in a few days. According to one guy, they were the only cygnets around there (though why so late in summer?) because they don't seem to breed on the lake proper. They do breed in the Waikato River, but they've grown up already.

[vandonovan.livejournal.com]

Maybe the courtship just took a little longer than usual. It happens. *grins* I'm glad, anyway, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten such great photos.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I know! They were growing so fast, we were lucky to be there at the right time.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

Could they have been the pair's second brood of the summer?

Lovely pictures.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Ah, perhaps that explains it.

Thank you!

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Awww, I want a plush black swan now!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

The babies were much more plush!

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

I want them, too. I want a flock floating on my bed. :^)

[san-valentine.livejournal.com]

I was staaring at the first pic for a moment, looking for the big white swans. Then I saw the caption and remembered of course, doh, you have black swans in your part of the world. Hard to think of swans as anthing other than white.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yet the babies are light grey! I suppose they turn dark when their feathers come in. This is the first time I've seen them in the flesh.

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Awww! I love swans! Cygnets are even cuter!

I made a bit of an ass of myself *squeeing* at some mute swans when I was on the train in the UK, last month. You just don't see 'em here in Northern CA, as they're not terribly popular with landscapers (or maybe they get into too many fights with the Canadian geese, I dunno...)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

There were lots of swans on the lake and river, but only this one lot of cygnets. We were lucky to see them.

I know the feeling: raving over something that's really common for locals can make you look such a dork. I have done it. :-(

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Oh! So fuzzy! :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They were, like water-going kittens! And such timewasters too. ;-)

I added another pic to the gallery and post: a closer one of the fuzzies (http://pics.livejournal.com/vilakins/pic/001b8ahh).

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Super-fuzzy! :)

[kalinda001.livejournal.com]

aww a family of swans... They're so cute. Did you try to feed them?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

We didn't have anything. They were eating the weed very enthusiastically though.

[ultrapsychobrat.livejournal.com]

These are wonderful photos. Love 'water-going kittens'--perfect description.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They were so round and fuzzy!

[trixieleitz]

Yay, fluffies! I love the way they seem to be glowing in the second-to-last photo.

I was just looking at some of my own swan pics yesterday. The adults were pulling up weed for the babies, just like your ones were.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Wow, they look very much the same even though the adults are white. I love the one riding on the parent's back.

[adds another of my many pics to the gallery and the post] I also got one showing a baby with weed draped across it (http://pics.livejournal.com/vilakins/pic/001b8ahh); it wriggled free after a couple of minutes. :-)

Your icon is perfect.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Oh, lovely! Will they grow up black like the parent?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Of course! Surprisingly they look just like white swan cygnets: fluffy and grey. It must be a property of the baby fuzz.

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

I like all of these but when I saw the second one a speach bubble immediately formed from the adult's beak.

"If you don't eat your greens there won't be any pudding for you"

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

:-D

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Both sets of pics are good but it's the art deco I'm really waiting for. It is Napier, isn't it? They were telling us about the earthquake and art deco rebuild in the lunch interval on TMS.

And out top batters should be ashamed of themselves.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

out top batters

Freudian slip there. I meant to say our

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

And they should be! It was 4 runs for 2 at one stage. :-P

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Worse, it was 4 for 3. I was living in hopes when you lost Bell third ball, but you seem to be settling in now.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

70 for 1 at the moment. But you did well despite the bad start.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yes, Napier. I have so many pics of that, I might just post a few and point people at the gallery. I'm still working my way through the photos. That is such a beautiful place, I went crazy with the camera.

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

Ooooooooooh, I love swans. I wish we had the black kind up here - so beautiful!

And cygnets are always adorable - ugly duckling my arse!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Most people seem to prefer white swans; I'm glad you like ours. :-)

Just what I said while I was looking at them!

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

The cygnets are cute and the pictures are great.
It's funny how all cygnets are grey irrespective of the parents adult plumage.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It is! A property of baby fuzz! :-)

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Ah, "ugly ducklings"! :-) Black swans are rare and highly protected by law here. Lovely!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I didn't know there were any in Europe! I'm not sure we have any white ones here.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

cute!
Ok, not quite the right icon, but it's the best I can do ;0)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

An ugly cygnet with a short neck! ;-)