Tuesday 4 October 2022


Walk with Yori late morning to the basin and then back via the ponds. No Australian Wood Duck family seen. 
I was photographing what I took to be the pen CCL with her four cygnets, though I could not read this band without binoculars. Unfortunately, my Lumix FZ300 did not capture an image from which I could read the band. I am sure it was CCL.




Suddenly, the scene changed dramatically with a fracas developing between an unidentified Black Swan (banded right leg inscribed Red) and the left leg banded RED inscribed BJB cob. It started as far as I was concerned when the two swans flew in from the S end of the Lake and landing in the basin. They were clearly in a pursuit flight and immediately on landing on the water a chase started. Maybe they had been in conflict before I saw them arrive but it was a fierce chase across the water to the beach continuing across the path and onto the grass (to the consternation of several walkers!) and back down onto the path where BJB stood over the other swan and grabbed it by the neck for several minutes!
I moved round to the swans as quickly as I could, on the way reassuring several people that it was a normal conflict between territorial and brood guarding adult swans and that I would break it up. Having Yori with me I went to untangle them but they got up, continued their fight towards the water but separated with the dominated swan getting away as it struggled between the casuarinas and down to the water. The dominating bird gave a powerful threat display standing tall (Wing-flapping) near the path and also then moved off back to the water. As far as I could tell the aggressor moved away but BJB joined the brood and pen on the far western side of the basin where he was seen preening. Very dramatic. The pen took no part in the kerfuffle, remaining with her cygnets on the far side of the basin. Note the person in one of the images (seventh) trying to call for assistance on her mobile phone. I assured her to cancel her call!
The aggressor is very likely to have been right leg RED BKC as this seems to be the band visible but difficult to read in one picture.

The sequence went something like the following:





Easily read inscribed band on the left hand side bird

Note the red inscribed bands on both birds. The aggressor seems to be BKC










 

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