My eggs finally hatched!

AnimalRights

As some of you may know I've been following this Swan pair since I noticed their eggs a few weeks back, I was going up almost everyday to check on them but it was a friend of mine who works as a park Ranger there that texted me earlier today to tell me that they had hatched.
These pics were taken early evening so a wee bit dark like a previous set I took.













Few more here
http://pix.ie/punkrock/album/377120

PopeBuckfastXVI

Great pics, congrats, cigars all round!

melekalikimaka

grr swansssss.... tho cygnets are kinda cute i must say

Jim

Where were these taken?

breadbin

yeah they are gorgeous:) well done ar!

Calina

Lovely idea to do this.

jpb1974

Along the Grand Canal between Leeson St bridge and Baggot St bridge by any chance?

If so I've been keeping tabs on them too... only a recently as Tuesday I last had a look and none of the 4 eggs had hatched then.

Nice captures.. well done.

bullpost

Lovely set. Great detail in the plumage in the last one. How close were you?

the_monkey

Great pics Janer !!!

nice one

waldo

jpb, those swans on the canal have been nesting on the same stretch of canal for the past 4 years without success. I pass it every day on my way to work. In previous years the swans were on a nest between Leeson street and Charlemont Bridge. The swans stayed with the eggs well into June, long past the normal incubation period. I'm still quietly hopeful though.

AnimalRights

jpb1974 wrote: »

Along the Grand Canal between Leeson St bridge and Baggot St bridge by any chance?

No but I did meet these guys one night on the way to The Lower Deck for a gig.

http://pix.ie/punkrock/album/371677

Thecageyone

Nice one. Good to see them hatched and safe, I love swans A guy I know from Carlow is doing similar. he's been following a family of swans down there and keeping an eye on the nest too.

http://pix.ie/davidlawlor8/1682192/in/album/374933

You've also reminded me to up a couple of shots I almost forgot about. taken on the Barrow last week, also featuring swans.

AnimalRights

Day 4!

















Rest here
http://pix.ie/punkrock/album/377277

Thecageyone

Love 3, 4 & 7 in that series

jpfahy

Great shots Janer, bit of a change from your usual stuff!!

AnimalRights

jpfahy wrote: »

Great shots Janer, bit of a change from your usual stuff!!

They were taken with the lens I bought off you!!
I've only started to really use it lately, lovely and light and it works a treat with my 1.4 extender.

jpb1974

The eggs located on the canal between Leeson St bridge and Baggot St bridge hatched last Monday.

4 chicks, all seem to be doing well. Mother is on the nest taking care of them, father is sitting on the canal keeping guard.

Only have me compact with me but am going to head over there now to try and get a photo or two.

pullandbang

jpb1974 wrote: »

Mother is on the nest taking care of them, father is sitting on the canal keeping guard.

Typical, the woman does all the work while the man sits around on his ar5e all day

jpb1974

The father is pretty aggresive... he's made quite a few swipes at dogs and people passing by.

Most people are walking around them, one bloke strolled up in a world of his own and was about an inch from getting bitten on the flute.

the_tractor

pullandbang wrote: »

Typical, the woman does all the work while the man sits around on his ar5e all day

LMAO!

Trev M

Super stuff sir - hope they all survive

bernard0368

Lovely shots AR. I have been watching a pair as well, they hatched on Monday. The parents are extremely aggressive making it hard to get near them. The park ranger warned me about them letting me know they had drowned three dogs and put a kid in hospital he wasn't lying the father is one evil sod.

AnimalRights

bernard0368 wrote: »

The park ranger warned me about them letting me know they had drowned three dogs

er lol?
'My Swans' are very down to earth, infact they're working class!
They seem to have no problems with passers by...even hand accepting food.

bernard0368

Not these ones pure evil, The rangers even put up fencing yesterday.

AnimalRights

Day 9 of the Swan family, note the neck of the cygnets now starting to grow.

duffarama

waldo wrote: »

jpb, those swans on the canal have been nesting on the same stretch of canal for the past 4 years without success. I pass it every day on my way to work. In previous years the swans were on a nest between Leeson street and Charlemont Bridge. The swans stayed with the eggs well into June, long past the normal incubation period. I'm still quietly hopeful though.

Yeah I walk along there on my way to and from work too, was convinced it was gonna be another stillbirth

I was actually quite pleased to see the eggs had hatched, I'm getting soppy in my old age :mad:

AnimalRights

Day 14

AnimalRights

Perfect Reflection? Day 15

bullpost

Fantastic - keep 'em coming.

AnimalRights

aaahhh gonna take a few days break, I'm running out of Swan poses.

AnimalRights

When Punk met Swan!

AnimalRights

Day 25
Was overcast and they were away in their nest.

PCPhoto

they get big so fast .

AnimalRights

Day 27

youllneverknow

got a good shot of a mother and swanlits today

you have to look at it in a big size to like it

youllneverknow

another from today

youllneverknow

AnimalRights

Day 39

IrishHomer

I don't mean to be a killjoy here but i think its important here to mention having a licence to photograph wild birds and nest as this nest seems to be getting too much attention in my view so hoping animal rights has a licence

http://www.npws.ie/en/WildlifePlanningtheLaw/Licences/ToPhotographorFilmaProtectedWildBird/

AnimalRights

IrishHomer wrote: »

I don't mean to be a killjoy here

You're not mate, best laugh I've had in ages.

youllneverknow

hahah just another way for them to make money me thinks lol

back on topic i love number 1
the detail in number 2 is great

IrishHomer

AnimalRights wrote: »

You're not mate, best laugh I've had in ages.

With that kind of attitude you should change your username to noanimalrights so.

Carry on stalking nests and eggs so and telling everyone where to do same.

AnimalRights

Had not been up for over 2 weeks and the difference in size was astounding!
Light was very harsh and kept changing out of the clouds frequently, hence the diff exposures.

Day 54








The light has caused the 3D effect, I did very little in PP!

AnimalRights

Day 65





The Magnificent 7 have all survived! A miracle in itself!

AnimalRights

Day 76 and they really are just like adults but obviously still grey, they are also more independent and not always by their parents side.








note the nesting Coots in background

AnimalRights

Day 93

AnimalRights

Day 107



Day 112

Ricky91t

Nice to see they're all fit and healthy! I'm not sure of swan chick survival rates but it's great to see they're all still alive over 100 days later.

AnimalRights

Yeah but I would class these as domesticated ie in a controlled enviroment, another guy whose name escapes me was doing something similar and a few months back he only had 2 survivors as obviously in the wild they have far more dangers to contend with, mostly manmade crap.

I'm sure when the parents here get ready to chase them away when it's time to go that the Park Rangers do take the young Swans and release them into a different area, probably outside of Dublin but yes 7/7 hatched Cygnets is a wonderful achievement.

AnimalRights

Day 129
The white is going through on the Cygnets now, especially under the wings

almedajohnson

That's really sweet pictures. Have you put this pictures anywhere else?? Because I think I have seen them these before.