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This blog has been retired. I won't respond to any inquiries but have retained it in case it is still of interest to anyone passing by.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Swans in the Green




Last year the swans did not breed in St Stephen's Green (Dublin).  I missed them terribly so was thrilled to see a new family again this year.  I always walk through the park on my way to work in the morning (I like it at that time when it has just opened and I have it almost to myself).  This year I've been able to follow the progress of the little family as the cygnets have matured.




I kept forgetting to bring my camera with me after I first spotted them so I did not get any photos of the 'day old chick' stage.  They cygnets were already a couple of weeks old before I eventually remembered to put the camera in my bag before I left for work.
 




They are such a wonderfully close-knit family unit.  The two adult swans are perfect parents - constantly protective and devoted to their young.



  



I love the way they swim in formation - usually with one parent in the lead and one bringing up the rear.






It is like family life in microcosm and I can't help feeling sad because I know it is for such a limited time.  Usually the park has either one adult swan or at most a breeding pair.  I don't suppose the area is big enough to support increasing numbers of adult birds.  When I watch them they seem so content and so much like a family in human terms.  I know this little idyll will end soon - and that they are blissfully unaware of it.
 




This is quite a strange photo but I think it is quite effective so I decided to include it.




These last pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago.   More and more white is starting to appear and the cygnets are almost full grown.  They live such a charmed and cosseted life here.  I hope when they are taken away that they end up somewhere equally as nice.





A bit of a gangly ballerina!  Eventually this one figured out where its leg was supposed to go, but for a while it kept flapping it awkwardly across its back.




Shop sign with two swans at the top of Grafton Street near to the entrance of the park.


9 comments:

Barbara said...

What a perfect family. Thanks so much for sharing the ‘photos I would love to take a walk in ‘your’ park.

Darlene Foster said...

I love swans. This isn't a scene you often see in Canada. Ther is a resident family of swans in the river near where we live but I don't get to see them often. Thanks very sharing these pictures. I would also like to shop at the Celtic Jewellers. Maybe someday!

Three Hoodies Save the World said...

Thanks for the great photos.
Did you know that all swans in England are the property of the Queen. I don't suppose that law counts in Dublin.

Unknown said...

Swans are so lovely. I would never make it out of the park. I'd be staring at them all day.

sharonssunlitmemories said...

I didn't know all the swans in England belonged to the queen. Lucky her! Makes me wonder though what happens if swans in the republic wander into the North of Ireland - do they suddenly become royal property?!

I also had to smile at the reference to 'my park'. I do have a habit of taking ownership of places that don't belong to me. I confuse the people I work with by talking about 'my forest' when it really belongs to Coillte (they represent and run Irish forestry). I sometimes think its because I grew up in places that were remote and sparsely populated - I came to think of the places I roamed about in as mine as there was no obvious evidence of formal ownership.

Joleene Naylor said...

Beautiful photos! :D

Donna Heber said...

Your swan photos are amazing Sharon! I didn't know the swans belonged to the Queen - then again doesn't she own everything ... lol.

CraveCute said...

These swans are beautiful and so tame! We had a pair of wild swans land on our lake earlier this year but we rarely see any. Thank you for sharing these photos!

DMS said...

How beautiful! Nature is just so amazing. I am glad the swans were back this year. Thanks for sharing the pictures and the details. :)
~Jess

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