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Story of two nesting Black Swans: Part 1
This is part 1 of a story about a pair of nesting Black Swans. At this point, I’m concerned about the state of the swans’ eggs. I don’t know what part 2 will hold, but I do hope for a happy ending.
These two swans have been sitting on their nest since late August. I first saw them sitting on 23 August, and a park ranger told me that they’d been sitting for at least a few days by then. It’s now 9 December. That’s more than 15 weeks — more than 105 days.
The eggs of Black Swans usually hatch after 39-45 days.
This photo is from the first time that I saw the nest, on 23 August:
(Photo taken on 23 August 2024)
The swan’s nest is a large pile of reeds, positioned in shallow water in the middle of a large reed bed. It’s quite a distance from the shore on both sides, and well screened from entrance on the water too. From the shore, it’s not possible to see into the nest. I’m assuming there are eggs, because the swans are very diligent about sitting on the nest and occasionally it looks as if they gently prod the eggs with their beaks.
Here’s another photo from the early days:
(Photo taken on 24 August 2024)
The setting is tranquil and pretty:
(Photo taken on 2 September 2024)
The nest is near a popular bush walking path, and I’ve walked past it every few days. When the first period of 45 days went by with no cygnets appearing, I thought maybe the parents had decided that their first batch of eggs was infertile and had started again.
But now the second period of 45 days is well and truly passed, and I’m worried.
Both the male and the female swan are still actively looking after the nest. I’ve seen each of them sitting on the nest alone, and occasionally both of them tending the nest together. The nest is never without one of the swans sitting or standing over it.
(Photo taken on 3 October 2024)
The male and female take turns to sit on the nest. The next video shows the changing of the guard. One bird has been sitting all night, the other has arrived for the morning shift. One of the birds grooms itself, and they both do a bit of nest maintenance. If you listen carefully, you can hear the swans’ soft hoots as they chat to each other:
(Video taken on 1 October 2024)
Every now and then, the swans spend quite some time and energy clearing the reeds around the nest and building up the nest:
(Photo taken on 3 October 2024)
Despite the nest’s seclusion, plenty of ducks, coots, and moorhens swim around the nest, keeping the swans company. Every now and then other visitors appear, like this kookaburra:
(Photo taken on 4 October 2024)
And this Eastern Water Dragon:
(Photo taken on 17 November 2024)
On 1 October, a beautiful light-coloured Grey Goshawk made an appearance near the nest, and was chased away by currawongs and cockatoos:
(Photo taken on 1 October 2024. I wrote another post about the goshawk.)
Here’s a nice video of one of the swans seating itself carefully on the nest:
(Video taken on 28 October 2024)
In more recent days, the site of the nest has become less tranquil. Cicadas have crept up from the earth to celebrate the summer full blast, as only cicadas can do. Sulphur-crested Cockatoos collect in the tree tops, high above the nest. The cockatoos squawk and yell, outdoing even the cicadas. It’s a very noisy environment for a nest, but at least it gives the parent swans some company. At this stage, they’d been sitting on the nest for more than 100 days:
(Video taken on 29 November 2024)
When it’s their turn for a break from sitting on the nest, one of the adults heads off to another part of the dam to stretch and feed. Here, a pelican keeps the off-duty swan company:
(Photo taken on 9 September 2024)
It’s good to stretch and preen:
(Photo taken on 9 September 2024)
In the next video, one of the swans comes in close to shore for a good stretch. Eastern Koel cuckoos and cicadas dominate the sound waves. On a rock nearby, an Eastern Water Dragon looks on:
(Video taken on 21 November 2024)
In the next video, a Great Cormorant watches on as the swan preens and fluffs its wings. Cockatoos, Eastern Koels, and Channel-billed cuckoos call in the distance:
(Video taken on 29 November 2024)
As I write this post, December has arrived and the bush has a surfeit of insects. It’s very noisy at the swans’ nest. Two kookaburras dropped by and chatted a bit. Moths flap past, cicadas shriek, and a dead heat beats down on the nest:
(Video taken on 6 December 2024)
The last time I visited the nest was yesterday, 8 December. The swans were still sitting. Two kookaburras dropped by again and the cicadas were still very noisy.
I’ll keep a look out to see what’s happening at the nest next time I pass. I do hope to see the two swans relieved of their nesting duties. It would be wonderful to see some little ones to reward their amazing dedication. Even if there are no cygnets, though, it’d be good to see the adults roaming free again, ready for another go at raising a family next year.
(Photo taken on 8 December 2024)
Good luck, patient swans!
Update on 10 April 2025: Black Swans abandon nest after 8 months (part 2 of story).
Common name: Black Swan
Scientific name: Cygnus atratus
Approximate length: 120 cm
Date spotted: 23 August through to 8 December, 2024 (late winter, through spring, going into early summer)
Approximate location: Manly Dam Park, New South Wales, Australia
Angry duck
This male Hardhead (on the right of the picture) looks like he has something to say. To his left, a Pacific Black Duck seems mildly surprised, or perhaps just living up to his scientific name, Anas superciliosa.
And perhaps the Hardhead thinks that his mate is paying too much attention to his supercilious rival!
This is the first time I’ve photographed a Hardhead. Evidently they’re the only Australian duck that can claim the name of true diving ducks, as they dive deep into the water to feed. The males have white eyes while the females have brown eyes.
Common names: Hardhead and Pacific Black Duck
Scientific names: Aythya australis and Anas superciliosa
Approximate length: 45-60 cm and 48-60 cm
Date spotted: 2 December 2024 (summer)
Location: Manly Dam National Reserve, near Sydney, Australia: 33°46’34.8″S 151°14’49.6″E
Coot cuddles
Coots always look so calm and cute. Here are two of them having a Coot cuddle.
And a Coot conversation:
Common name: Eurasian Coot
Scientific name: Fulica atra
Approximate length: 35 cm
Date spotted: 7 November 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’35.4″S 151°14’49.5″E
My first Buff-banded Rail
This bird is very very shy. I’ve seen it twice, and this is the best photo I have. It’s my first sighting of a Buff-banded Rail, or any kind of rail.
The bird has a distinctive wide white eyebrow, with a chestnut stripe through the eye. The top of the head is a darker brown, and the beak is orange and quite long. (At first I thought the bird was some sort of quail, but I couldn’t find any quails with orange beaks.) The body has black and white barring on the sides, whereas the plumage on the back is mottled brown and cream.
The bird hides in the low growth at the edge of Manly Dam, on Sydney’s northern beaches. I’ll keep a look out, to try and get a better photo.
Common name: Buff-banded Rail
Scientific name: Gallirallus philippensis
Length: 28-32 cm
Date spotted: 26 October 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’40.0″S 151°14’50.2″E
What does a Darter sound like? Plus random turtles.
Darters are large water birds, a bit like cormorants. They make a weird cackling sound, a bit like a sardonic duck. And they only do it every now and then, for a short time, so you have to just be there with your camera ready if you want to record the call.
I was lucky to be looking at a kingfisher through the camera lens when a darter started cackling nearby. Here’s what I got on camera — the darter call is right at the start of the video. Also, when watching the video I noticed there are a couple of turtles on a log at bottom left of the shot, visible just as the camera starts zooming out.
Here’s the darter with its beak open. I’m not sure if it was thinking of cackling again or if something was tickling its throat. It is, after all, rather a long throat:
Here’s a pic showing the turtles on the log at bottom left. I didn’t know they were there until I saw the photos on a big screen. There are at least two turtles, one behind the other, and possibly a third below them:
This bird is a male, with its black neck and red throat.
Common name: Darter
Scientific name: Anhinga melanogaster
Approximate length: 90 cm; wing span: 1.2 m
Date spotted: 10 October 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’34.7″S 151°14’48.9″E
My first Black-fronted Dotterels
Wandering the paths of Manly Dam reserve a couple of days ago, I met a fellow birdwatcher. He showed me some pictures of a bird that he’d seen, and asked me if I knew what it was. I didn’t, which of course was gratifying to both of us. Something new! I wandered along to the rocks where he’d seen the bird. Sure enough, two pretty little waterbirds dashed back and forth along the water’s edge, poking their beaks into the green sludge on the rocks. I managed to photograph one of them (though I’m not sure it’s always the same bird in these photos).
I wondered if it was some type of stilt, but the beak and legs weren’t long enough. My fellow birdwatcher had suggested it was a juvenile plover.
The bird had a distinctive V-shaped black marking on its chest.
Consultation of my bird book revealed that these are Black-fronted Dotterels. They’re a type of plover. I heard them make their call, a series of short pips. Evidently they’re common and widespread, though I’ve not seen them in my area before.
Common name: Black-fronted Dotterel
Scientific name: Charadrius (Elseyornis) melanops
Approximate length: 16-18 cm
Date spotted: 22 September 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’31.1″S 151°14’47.9″E
Masleep! Or, sleepy Pelican contortions
Early this morning, a pelican dozed on the banks of Manly Dam:
I’ve never seen a pelican asleep before. It looked a bit weird and back-to-front.
At one stage, the pelican decided a yawn was in order:
That pesky pouch beneath its beak got a bit tangled and inside-out:
Once that mess was sorted, the pelican manoeuvred its beak sideways onto its back:
With the beak nicely pointed straight down its back, the bird folded its wings over the beak. A bit like a bat, but the right way up!
Optimal sleeping position achieved:
Here’s the same bird, awake and looking as well put together as a pelican can:
It’s not often that you see a pelican at Manly Dam. I’m pretty sure this is a first for me, though I’ve seen them often on the beaches around Sydney.
Common name: Australian Pelican
Scientific name: Pelecanus conspicillatus
Approximate length: 170 cm
Approximate wingspan: 2.5m
Date spotted: 9 September 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam Park, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’31.2″S 151°14’46.6″E
Call of the Sacred Kingfisher
Ever wondered what a kingfisher sounds like? Well, you’ll know after watching this video, for a Sacred Kingfisher anyway. The call is a series of chirps, all on more or less the same note. Not very exciting really, for such a pretty bird! You hear them mostly around breeding time, when the calls can be quite insistent.
At the start of the video, you see and hear the kingfisher calling. The camera then zooms out to show the surroundings, including a Great Egret, a Darter, and a Coot. The scene is set at Manly Dam in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Set the video settings to HD for best results:
Despite their name, these kingfishers don’t often eat fish! Instead, they prey on small reptiles and large insects, and occasional crustaceans from the water’s edge.
Common name: Sacred Kingfisher
Scientific name: Todiramphus sanctus
Length: 20-23 cm
Date spotted: 8 September 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam Park, New South Wales, Australia: 3°46’31.2″S 151°14’46.6″E
Looking great!
These two Great Cormorants were chilling at Manly Dam, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. I didn’t realise how pretty their wing feathers are until I saw them through the camera zoom.
The first bird’s image is slightly spoiled by the bit of fluff on its nose, but check out those clear turquoise eyes and white-and-yellow face markings:
The second bird has no fluff problems, and stands proud:
Common name: Great Cormorant
Scientific name: Phalacrocorax carbo
Approximate length: 85 cm; wing span 1.5 m
Date spotted: 6 September 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’34.5″S 151°14’50.5″E
White-necked Herons in Sydney’s Northern Beaches
Yesterday, walking at the north western end of Manly Dam, I saw four large water birds flying high above the trees. Here are two of them:
Intrigued, I followed them around the corner where, luckily, they landed high in a tree. I managed to photograph two of them, before they took off again:
They’re White-necked Herons! This is my first sighting of these birds. They’re large and impressive, with those long legs and undertaker stance. The bird on the left has a misplaced feather that, combined with the reddish colouring on its wing tips, looks a little painful.
The birds were very high up, in the furthermost tree in this picture (though they had gone by the time I took the photo):
The left-most bird turned around at one stage, giving us a nice view of the spots running down its chest and the reddish marking at the top of its wings:
Another pose of the same bird:
This is the right-hand bird, looking altogether sleeker and fiercer:
It’s exciting to see such large, impressive visitors at Manly Dam!
Common name: White-necked Heron
Scientific name: Ardea pacifica
Approximate length: 75-105 cm
Date spotted: 2 September 2024 (spring)
Location: Manly Creek in Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’20.0″S 151°14’30.6″E
Sydney Birder 