Black Swan — David Taylor - Master Jeweller

Of all the birds the Black Swan is the one that I like to just sit and watch. When you first arrive they usually swim away but if you sit they often become relaxed and return to the spot they were feeding at.

This is the same bird from the previous photo. After about an hour of being there without talking or moving it came over to right in front of me to see what I was doing. Are they feathers coming out of the nostrils?

Both sexes have red eyes and a red bill with a white bar near the tip.

Swan waving to me :) Tablelands Swamp, March 2021.

I think this photo shows why the Swans are such good swimmers. It also shows why they are so reluctant to go far on land. It would be like walking with diving flippers on.

These photos are from my first real encounter with the wild Swans. After sitting and watching for hours these birds became so comfortable they took a nap in front of me.

Breeding season is from February to September. They usually lay 4 to 6 eggs.

Their nests are mounds of vegetation that I see out in the middle of a Swamp or near the edge with a border of water to the land.

Once they hatch the chicks will spend just one day on the nest. These were taking a break from swimming on a small patch of land in the swamp.

Female birds are slightly smaller and their eyes and bill are paler than the male. Hard to tell when the bills are wet!

The birds bond in pairs for life. In the Tablelands Swamps you will find them in groups at places like Wurruma Swamp. I have never seen them there in the huge numbers that I have read online. The most I have see at Wurruma at any given time is about 30.

Their diet is aquatic vegetation. They feed on the bottom of open water locations with their long necks. So if you see a Swan feeding bum up you know roughly how deep the water is.

They come to the surface to consume their food but will also surface filter feed.

To feed the young cygnets the adult birds stir up the vegetation from below the surface.

Once the food has reached the surface the cygnets feed away. Very cute to watch.

They make high pitched bugle like musical notes. These are often made when in flight but I hear them more often when they are telling each other I am about.

Above is a video of some Swans feeding at Wurruma Swamp in the rain late Janaury 2021.

Adult and Juvenile, Tablelands Swamp December 2020.

Immature birds are brownish in colour and the eyes also a darker brown.

I find the birds easiest to approach early in the mornings and it is early morning that I have taken my best photos of these gentle birds.

For those early morning shots I am often waiting in the fog at Wurruma Swamp. A truly magical place. In the photo above the sun is bursting through the fog at the top. This glorious fog when present generally does not last long after sunrise.

Like pelicans the take off can be very interesting, almost like they are running on water.

Most of their flying is done at night. During flight their white flight feathers are visible and the sounds of those huge wings flapping is very distinct especially at take off.

They fly with the necks extended and usually in a V formation.

Adult feeding, Tablelands Swamp, May 2020.

If you are not an early morning person then you will still see the Swans during the day but I find that they are usually further away from the edges of the water and more likely to swim away and stay away than early morning or late afternoon.