Scooter is still paddling about

The swan family is generally dispersed these days. I've seen four of them together at one time a couple of times, but ususally they are fewer. Scooter seems to be largely on his own now. His foot has deteriorated until it's just a few little stubs - it seems to have worn away. Here he was happily preening, balanced on a log beneath the surface. He was even having a snooze balanced on one leg a little later. I'm wondering if he will ever try to fly. Possibly not.

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White-Faced Heron

This heron let me get quite close as he fished and foraged amongst the reeds right next to the Wooden Boat School at Franklin. The herons are quite shy and wary, certainly more so than swans and ducks.

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Scooter

I've only seen Scooter occasionally recently. He was at Franklin this morning though, on his own. I saw a small group of swans further north along the riverbank, and these were probably his siblings. Scooter's foot continues to deteriorate. He's probably best off without it now, although he seems to use it in some way for steering. I note that his plumage has not developed as much as that of his siblings, and he is still relatively brown rather than black, and he retains a fluffiness that the others were pretty much over.

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White-Faced Herons

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There are two White-Faced Herons (Egretta novaeholandiae) who live near the Wooden Boat School. These attractive birds are quite wary and startle easily, and I have struggled to get close enough for usable shots. Obviously need a longer lens! They have a visually lumbering flight, which I note was described by Michael Sharland in 1958 as "heavy", in which their body actually moves up and down in relation to their wings as they slowly flap. It's as if normal birds flap their wings, with their body remaining at a constant height, whereas the herons seem to flap their body up and down between their wings just as much as they flap their wings. Nevertheless, they also fly comfortably from one safe place to another, especially when approached. The two regulars have been roosting on a somewhat under-maintained boat along the jetty which extends to the north from the school.

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Pacific Black Ducks

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The Field Guide says the Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa) are "common to abundant". I think that means there are stacks of them. The ducks normally flee when I approach, but these ones were content to stay and preen while I quietly lay down to get a few almost water-level shots of them.

New Blog to separate the Valley from the Bushwalking

Starting this new blog to post Huon Valley nature items. I think this might usefully separate the river, the swans, the ducks, the herons (see new posts for ducks and herons soon), and all the other things in the valley that I find to photograph or haver about, from the actual bushwalking locations. Previous swan posts available at Mark's Tasmanian Bush Blog. I'll start this blog with one of the nice swan photos from previous posts.