The swans are returning to Cape Ann ponds and marshes!
During periods of extremely cold weather Mute Swans depart our region to search for vegetation to forage for at unfrozen bodies of water. The deep freeze of this past winter was especially difficult for our feathered friends.
Note the fleshy black knob at the base of the bill. For most of the year, the male and female’s knobs are about the same size. During mating season, which we are coming in to, it is much easier to do a side-by-side identification to determine if cob or pen because the male’s knob swells and becomes more prominent.
Synchronized Diving
Swans use their large feet as both rudder and paddle when diving for vegetation.
Mute Swans have 23 separate vertebrate in their necks, which is more than any other bird, including other swan species.
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Divers or Dabblers and the Green-Winged Teal
Good Morning Gloucester 
Egrets appeared on the marsh behind Lobsta Land on 4/3. I look for egrets everywhere during the spring. Last year I saw my first one flying low over Route 1 in Lynnfield. This year I saw my first egret in my hometown!
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I have been keeping an eye out, with no luck, and am so happy to hear the wonderful news Sarah Jane! Thank you so much for sharing!!
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Aren’t the mute swans colorful! Thank you for the information on them, Kim. They’re quite pretty.
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Yes, so beautiful and fascinating. Thank you Leslie and good to hear from you!
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At least they bring some hope!
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does anyone know where the niles pond swans are? They are usually back by now 😦
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I am looking for them everyday–it wasn’t until this past week that the pond was completely thawed. I am hoping they are just late, like everything else is, and will be, this spring.
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about 2 weeks ago 2 swans showed up on the ice. i couldn’t tell if it was the usual niles pond swans (female has a distinguishing scar) as they were too far away. As much as I love them, I hope they are nesting elsewhere so their cygnets survivie. The greatest gift for me after this winter will be to see them return with babies big enough to survive the pond’s resident mean ole snapper. 🙂
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Thank you Anonymous for sharing that info!! I’ve been face to face with that snapper and she is enormous! (At least I think it was a she because she was crossing Niles Pond Road).
I always assumed it was a snapper when they get taken down one by one, but last year, the entire brood of cygnets disappeared overnight, which made me think it was a different predator.
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Last year a baby swan was dead at the waters edge. It had a large bite mark on its belly. So sad as the parents were clearly mourning the loss. Over the next 2 days the other 2 disappeared. How big is the snapper? I picture it volkswagon size!
I found 3 dead koi fish (I think) last week. I noticed that “ralph” the cute muskrat survived the winter! This is the coolest place for a nature lover to live. I have some close up coyote pics from this winter if you’d like me to share. Did you see the dead one on the ice? Sad as it’s mate watched over it for weeks.
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I have a photo of the snapper from several years ago and will try to locate. She wasn’t quite volkswagon size, but she bared her teeth at me and that was scary enough!! I’d say she was about two feet wide and almost as high. She was in the middle of the road. I used the end of my rolled up yoga mat to nudge her along because I thought she was going to get run over by a car. This was before I knew she was eating cygnets.
I saw Ralph too!! I wonder if a Ralphette will ever join him? Or vice versa.
This past week I photographed two beautiful male mergansers and several black crowned night herons but haven’t had a chance to post as recently there have been so many community events going on around town that need to be posted.
Anonymous, we would be thrilled to post your up close coyote photos. Please do send to kimsmithdesigns@hotmail.com. So excited to see them!!!
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