Friday 27 May 2011

Ugly Ducklings?



How can anyone call them ugly! We saw this swan family on the Union Canal today. The cygnets were very curious and came right up to us.



We also saw a female mallard with eight ducklings that looked as though they had just hatched, they were full of curiousity about the world around them and were zipping around at top speed, too speedy to photograph, but oh they were fun to watch!


We saw lots of swallows too, flying around low over the water, chasing insects. They seem to be nesting in the new flats near the canal. Last time we were there we saw house martins, but they didn't seem to be around today. There were also huge numbers of house sparrows, making loads of noise in the hedges, they seemed to have plenty of young. This is great news as in the UK, the house sparrow is declining rapidly in number!


Edinburgh City Council is holding a consultation on the future of the Union Canal. You can read it and add your views here. You can read my recent post about the consultation here.




as ever text in red contains hyperlinks which take you to other webpages where you can find out more!

31 comments:

d. moll, l.ac. said...

They are adorable! what fun for you to watch them grow up.

The Weaver of Grass said...

They are even more beautiful than ducklings in my opinion.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Weaver - yes at that age i agree, even cuter than ducklings!

Kay said...

I am jealous..love the cygnets!

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

I love watching ducks and swans. The babies make such cute sounds, too!

Caroline Gill said...

Wonderful swan reflections, Juliet! I wonder if the RSPB-west 'wear green' day has reached Scotland?

Titus said...

I've never understood that either!
Beautiful picture.

Linda said...

Terrific photo work... Happy Friday!!

Rajlakshmi said...

they are sooo cute :) beautiful capture :D

Malyss said...

Ugly?!! No! so cute and lovely! I would have liked to be there with you to obsreve them!

Glo said...

What a delightful spring photo of the swans and cygnets ~ sounds like a wonderful time you had in a lovely area.

Anonymous said...

I think they are the most graceful bird in the water.

Sylvia K said...

Oh, I love swans and love to see the families of them at some of our parks here! Your capture for the day is gorgeous! I love it! Wonderful! Hope you have a great weekend, Juliet!

Sylvia

Unknown said...

They are so cute and fuzzy!

TexWisGirl said...

that's a wonderful little family!

RoadBunner said...

There are goslings and ducklings out on my running route now. I love to see what they are up to!

Kay L. Davies said...

You're so right, Juliet, they're not ugly, they're adorable.
— K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Anonymous said...

I love those cute little fuzzy ducks!

Anonymous said...

Ugly they are not. I think the fuzzy little ones are precious. Your image captures the spirit of the family. Wish we had swans around here. sigh!

RG said...

Like that photo - the reflections!

Kim, USA said...

Somebody did start calling it ugly duckling but aren't ugly at all ^_^ Thanks for the visit!

Weekend Reflection

Anonymous said...

So gorgeous!!!!

Cezar and Léia said...

I love ducks, they are adorable!
Happy weekend,
Léia - Bonjour Luxembourg

Gattina said...

they are so cute ! I don't understand either why they say "ugly"

P. M. Doolan said...

Do you know the ballad "Two Island Swans -One Last Cold Kiss"? It is a brillaint song and has become an anti-hunting anthem. Here is the youtube link to Irish singer Christy Moore's classic version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNVuBnB086Q

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ShySongbird said...

A lovely photo Juliet and no, definitely not ugly!

Sadly, I have noticed a definite decline in House Sparrows here, they used to be the most common visitor to my garden, now they are a rare treat.

bunnits said...

What a delightful walk. Around here we're seeing lots of baby ducks and geese, but no cygnets. I love the baby swans and was hoping the pair I've seen now and then on the lake at the university would stay and raise a a family.

I'm hoping all goes well with the canal development. It can be a tricky thing to make sure the environment doesn't get jeopardized.

Pomona said...

The cygnets are beautiful - we saw 4 swans on the stream close to us today. They usually stay right out on the marsh and we have never seen 4 come so close.

Pomona x

Carver said...

I love the way ducklings look with their soft downy feathers.

Christina said...

Ugly? Heck no! I love all baby birds, all of them.