Cheshire Swan Study Group Report 2008
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Cheshire Swan Study Group Report 2008 by David Cookson. Foreword Cheshire Swan Study Group founded in 1988 by Dennis Elphick celebrated its 20 th Anniversary in August 2008. Although run by a small group of enthusiasts, it has contributed greatly to the knowledge and movement of mute swans in Cheshire Staffordshire and North Wales. It has also benefited from the help, support and sponsorship of many local organizations, landowners and individuals and in return has provided a wide body of knowledge about the status of mute swans in the area . A great deal of information about the swans comes from their movement, and the identification & recognition of individuals using coloured rings adds greatly to our knowledge. In the early days of the group we ringed the swans using blue plastic “Darvic” rings using the number 2 and two letters, and later a three letter combination. In November 1997 we changed to using new green “Darvics” using four characters made up from using C as a prefix and then a combination of a letter and two numbers sequence. In 1999, after the number of breeding pairs in Cheshire had increased dramatically from 14 pairs in 1989 to 140+ pairs, it was decided to concentrate less on the whole of the county and more on the areas of higher density of swans, allowing a better use of our limited resources. a. The latest type of darvic b. An earlier style ring. Included in this report is a longevity report, twenty years of ringing data and the other usual information . I’m delighted to report that the breeding success of pairs in the Borough of Crewe and Nantwich has improved at long last, and we also saw some good swan movements. We also have to report an amazing record of breeding from a nest site near Crewe. Here the pen started sitting on her clutch of eggs at the end of December 2007 and they hatched on the 5 th March 2008. This must be one of the earliest breeding records of a mute swan in the country (In 2009 she started sitting on 16 th of January) as the average hatching date for mute swans in Cheshire is the 10 th May!!! This will be the last annual Swan Study Group Report, but I will be publishing our further research & findings from time to time. David Cookson March 2009 Email – [email protected] Cheshire Swan Study Group Website address is www.record-lrc.co.uk/Group.aspx?Mod=Article&ArticleID=G0012001 Comparative breeding results for the Borough of Crewe and Nantwich. TOTAL PAIRS TOTAL TOTAL WITH TOTAL CYGNETS CYGNETS % PAIRS CYGNETS HATCHED FLEDGED FLEDGED 1999 26 19 57 40 70 2000 32 21 69 40 57 2001 36 16 60 34 56 2002 35 17 82 45 54 2003 27 15 48 33 66 2004 29 13 54 33 61 2005 24 19 74 38 51 2006 22 15 43 25 58 2007 23 15 30 16 53 2008 24 16 56 33 59 Additional Information A = Swans identified in Cheshire but ringed outside Cheshire in = 2008 B = Swans ringed in Cheshire but identified outside Cheshire in = 2008 A B Clwyd 0 2 Derbyshire 0 1 Gtr Manchester 0 3 Gwynedd 4 6 Lancashire 9 15 Merseyside 0 7 Powys 1 2 Shropshire 10 5 Staffordshire 19 8 Warwickshire 1 0 West Midlands 0 1 Total = 44 50 Number of Swans ringed in Cheshire to end of 2008 = 3469 Total number of Swans identified in Cheshire in 2008 = 302 200 RINGING INFORMATION 8 CYGNE SECO THIR ADULT TS ND D S TOTAL RINGE YEAR YEA RINGE RINGE RETRA CONTR DEAT MUTE SWANS D S RS D D PS OLS HS CHESHIRE RINGING SITES ACRE DELL,CONGL ETON 6 6 ALSAGER AREA 5 3 8 AUDLEM AREA 12 12 CHESTER AREA 3 3 2 7 CONGLETON AREA 8 CREWE AREA 9 9 DODDINGTON POOL 1 3 4 1 1 4 ELLESMERE, SALOP 2 1 3 LANCASHIRE 1 MACCLESFIE LD AREA 2 MIDDLEWICH AREA 1 NANTWICH BOATING LAKE 8 3 9 20 7 2 NANTWICH AREA 6 3 9 1 3 NORTH WALES 2 NORTHWICH AREA 3 3 2 REDES MERE 3 3 SHROPSHIRE 2 SPURSTOW 4 4 2 STAFFORDSH IRE 6 STOCKPORT AREA 6 6 WINSFORD AREA 2 WINTERLEY POOL 3 1 4 WARRINGTO N AREA 1 1 2 TOTALS 59 12 8 16 95 11 1 46 WHOOPER SWANS These two Swans were ringed 2 at RSPCA, Stapeley Grange, Nantwich and released near the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Martin Mere, Lancs Chester Swan Report 2008. Numbers of Swans on the River Dee . The numbers of swans on the river at Chester continues to decline, with only the Straight Mile pair and 2 surviving cygnets occupying the river and being present between July & September. However I’m sure that this is due to the aggressive nature of the cob (ex C628), who can be seen driving off any other visiting swans who trespass onto his “breeding territory” which exists from the Straight Mile to the weir at the Groves. This means that there is no opportunity for a moult flock to form, and we are down to the pair & 2 cygnets rather than the 66 swans that formed the flock at its peak number in 2004. Breeding Territories . However there are still good numbers of breeding territories in the Chester area, and I have been keeping an eye on 16 nest sites during the breeding season. These nests produced an estimated 82 eggs, with 68 cygnets hatching. A late cold/wet snap meant that there was a wider spread of arrival dates than usual, and this resulted in at least one case of a family of swans moving into another pair’s territory before they had appeared from their nest site, causing some vicious territorial battles, which caused me great concern, as the watching public were distressed at seeing such violent action between the cobs. 51 cygnets were still alive at the beginning of July. However this year we have several actual sightings of predation of cygnets and in one case an adult swan by mink. Witnesses on the river and canal reported seeing cygnets being taken, and I have since heard of others eg at Marbury in mid Cheshire. It seems that the mink are getting more brazen, although it might just reflect an increase in their numbers. Cygnets Fledging . 41 of these cygnets were still alive at the end of July, but this figure must be incomplete, as many swans move off their breeding territory on farms or ponds, and in two cases Golf Courses, to river or canals, so they are unable to be tracked unless they are ringed. Circumstances have meant that it has not been possible to ring the cygnets this year, so we have been unable to follow their later progress unless they are with ringed adults. However an estimated 50% of cygnets to fledging is still a good record. Five pairs hatched seven cygnets and all but one pair over five. However predation by mink of 5cygnets from a clutch of seven within a day of hatching was a major blow, and is possibly a reason for the aggressive cob on the river, if he is always having to defend his mate and cygnets from attack. Wild swans on the Dee Marshes. The numbers of wintering swans on the marsh has again been excellent, although the flock is usually split into two groups, The peak count has been 122 swans, including an estimated 40 Whoopers & 20 Bewicks, the residue being from our local mute population. The best place to see them has once again been Shotwick Fields, opposite the Iceland Food Factory, but on one occasion I also had a good view of the whole flock together on the marsh side of the new bridge (Harp Bridge) over the River Dee adjacent to the Power Station. However as this is on the main dual carriageway it is not a good place to stop. It is not possible to see these birds close up unless they fly into the RSPB Reserve at Inner Marsh Farm, where some fly to roost on occasions. David Cummings RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre Swan Report 2008 The number of swans admitted to Stapeley Grange in 2008 was 380, slightly down on the figure of 400 in 2007. Over two-thirds of all swan admissions came from just three counties; Cheshire (110), Merseyside (89) and Staffordshire (71). It is interesting to note that of the 89 swans admitted from Merseyside, an incredible 63 were from the Marine Lake at Southport. The table below details the reasons for admission in 2008. Total Admissions Cheshire Admissions General Injuries 119 41 Sickness / Lethargy 82 21 Fishing Injuries 48 21 Crash Landed 32 6 Uninjured Orphan 19 3 Lead Poisoning 18 5 Powerlines / Collisions 15 4 Dogged 14 4 Oiled / Contaminated 11 1 Feathers Attacked by Swans 10 3 RTA 7 0 Shot 5 1 Total 380 110 The number of admissions as a result of injuries from discarded fishing tackle was similar to that in 2007 but there was a decrease in the number of swans admitted with lead poisoning as the primary reason for admission. A similar decrease was seen with swans admitted having been shot. However, this can be misleading as there were still large numbers of swans admitted for other reasons that were also found to have been shot or to have had elevated levels of lead in their blood. There was an increase in the number of swans admitted as a result of dog attacks.