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Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan



Photo-a-Day Archive
Photo-a-Day Archive

Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 5th April, 2013)

Feed me


Feed me
Near the bridge for Haigh Hall.

Photo: Ron Dawber  (Canon PowerShot G9)
Views: 3,938

Comment by: Margaret Wall on 5th April 2013 at 00:33

Aaw what a lovely picture of a cheeky chappie begging for a tasty treat.
What a gorgeous bird he (or she?) is.
It shows just how big these swans really are.
A great photo Ron!

Comment by: Lizzie down under on 5th April 2013 at 02:33

Lovely photo Ron.....nice to see just a tiny bit of snow lingering....cheers!!!

Comment by: Mick on 5th April 2013 at 06:49

I think I know that swan.

Comment by: Lizzie down under on 5th April 2013 at 10:23

Bet you know all the swans Mick.......and all the ducks......hee hee!!! Cheers, bike man !!!

Comment by: Bren on 5th April 2013 at 11:14

I know that swan well... he has a crack in his beak and he is very very cheeky !!!! Nearly had an arm and a leg off me !!!

Comment by: tricia on 5th April 2013 at 11:23

For Liz Conroy
Hi
I just found your photo a day of Porters Wood and left you a message. I will never know how I missed this.
Mick,
Went on a walk through Porters Wood at Midnight last night!!!
I managed to find your videos and walked along so many paths well beloved in my childhood.
Thank you both so very much for that and finally...
Ernest I have answered your question....
Off for my Friday treat of English fish 'n' chips now (YUM.. Atlantic cod, not Panga ...with proper Mushy peas)
tricia

Comment by: Ernest Pyke on 5th April 2013 at 13:07

Is it a loaf or a writer?

The Swan

Traveling swiftly across the water
Having no trouble looking attractive
Exploring the shiny silver lake

Sharing its beauty with all trespassers
Wild bird with everlasting grace
Amazingly calm as thousands stare
No animal beats the bewildering swan

Comment by: Neil Rigby on 5th April 2013 at 18:17

FYI - Ernest's comment is an "Acrostic Poem."

Comment by: Mick on 5th April 2013 at 20:11

Bren old crack beak was on the Photo a Day on Monday, 28th May, 2012

http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/photoaday.php?photo=2012-05-28

Comment by: Ernest Pyke on 5th April 2013 at 21:53

Bren and Mick,I can`t see the cracked beak, so how can you say it has one?
Neil, well spotted.

Comment by: Mick on 5th April 2013 at 22:33

Ernest we can t see the cracked beak on the photo but that swan and its mate are the only ones on that stretch of canal.

Comment by: Liz Conroy on 5th April 2013 at 23:11

Nicely captured, Ron.
I know cracked beak (more like a nick really) and his mate well too. They bring up a brood between Top Lock and Haigh almost every year.
Let's hope they are successful this year.

Tricia, glad you finally found it! :)

Comment by: Bren on 6th April 2013 at 09:03

Ernest.... It's quite prominent when you get close enough to it.. It is well known on that stretch of the canal.

Comment by: Ernest Pyke on 6th April 2013 at 11:52

Bren, I`ve seen Mick`s video and P-a-D so know what the beak is like.
How do you tell which swan is the loaf and which is the writer in this photo?

Comment by: Neil Rigby on 6th April 2013 at 22:07

Earnest, here is a Double Acrostic.

The Swan

Travelling along as a handsome crafT
Hearing only sounds of waterwasH
Eyeing all with a disdainful glancE

Serenely moving with form of greatnesS
Windblown feathers of blinding snoW
Arching neck, a powerful insigniA
Now we know the SwaN

Comment by: Bren on 7th April 2013 at 13:53

Ernest would you be referring to the cob and pen ?? The cob being the male and the pen being the female.
The male has the big bump on top of the beak, the female doesn't, but you already knew that didn't you ??

Comment by: Ernest Pyke on 7th April 2013 at 22:19

Bren, extract from a comment on:-
http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/f/901/p/40882/270634.aspx

The "nobble" on top of the bill is often known as the "berry". Sometimes the berry on a mature female can look almost as big as one on a male, and I find it very hard to tell mature females from young un-paired-off mature males like that.

With a pair, it's a bit easier. The cob is a bit larger than the pen, but you have to study hard and see them in a position where you can compare their bodies. If they're out of the water, the cob will have noticeably bigger feet than his mate - much easier to tell. He also stands taller at the "shoulder". If you hear them calling (snorts etc), the cob has a deeper voice.

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