Hello Everyone,
This week I decided to take a walk to the lake beside my house. It is called Hollywood Lake. We were learning all about birds and our story was The Ugly Duckling so I thought that I would try to see if there were swans on the lake.
I was so lucky to spot two swans and their little baby swan!!!Check out the pictures and the videos for yourself!!!
Swans are very beautiful birds. Their elongated, curved necks and white feathers stand out when you see them on the lake.
They are very large birds and can weigh up to 30 pounds, measuring anywhere from 56 – 62 inches in length.
Swans can sleep on either land or the water. They have the option of sleeping while standing on one leg or while floating in the water.
Swans are very graceful to look at as they glide along on the water. Swans that live on freshwater typically enjoy pondweed, stonewort, and wigeon grass. They also like eating insects.
Did you know that there are white and black swans? The swans we usually see in Ireland are white but black swans are native to Australia. A male swan is called a cob and a female swan is called a pen.
Swans choose a partner and they stay with them for the rest of their lives. When a swan has laid a set of eggs (which can take 2-3 weeks), she can sit on them for 6 weeks or longer until they hatch. Swans will hatch up to 10 eggs at one time.
Baby swans are called cygnets and stay with their mother for the first 6 months of life. I could only see one little cygnet so these swans just had one little egg that hatched. You can see that the cygnet is grey and fluffy just like in the story of The Ugly Duckling. Cygnets can start swimming after just a couple of days.
They are the largest member of the duck and goose family. Swans can fly and because they among the largest flying birds out there and need about 30 yards to become airborne. They ae really fast flyers and they can fly up to 60 miles per hour. If you would like to see a swan taking off here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAFFs2C8X5U
Swans are usually peaceful creatures but they are very defensive when it comes to their nests and babies. They will protect them by flapping their wings and making lots of noise, so if you see a swan be sure to give it space.
Swans are awesome and beautiful creatures. What is your favourite thing about swans? I wonder if you could spot any swans or cygnets while you are out for your walk? If you see any please take a picture and send it to me or maybe you could draw one?
This link will teach you how to draw a swan and give you some interesting facts about swans: https://youtu.be/qw6dcCjrgak
Here is a link to the story of The Ugly Duckling if you would like to listen to it again:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9BnQsQeadE
Have a lovely weekend.
Lots of love,
Ms. Deery xox
