The Swans in the Lake.

hullaballoo

I was just looking out the window at the lake because my life is incredibly boring, and I saw that the swans were acting a bit funny. I had a closer look and realised that they were surrounded by about 7 or 8 small ducks. Then I had another closer look and saw that they're actually little fledglings. I'm going out now to have a closer look!

Heh, the adult swans are being so protective!

singingstranger

hullaballoo wrote:

I was just looking out the window at the lake because my life is incredibly boring, and I saw that the swans were acting a bit funny. I had a closer look and realised that they were surrounded by about 7 or 8 small ducks. Then I had another closer look and saw that they're actually little fledglings. I'm going out now to have a closer look!

Heh, the adult swans are being so protective!

The legal masterminds of our future, ladies and gentlemen. Susceptable to nothing but the occasional overwhelming by cuteness.

TheVan

Swans are fascinating, especially the big ones that flap their wings and go hissss and flap flap! ....aaaagghh!

Scraggs

Be careful:p
Swans can be very territorial esp with lickle baby swans and do attack...I've been on the receiving end of many an attack even though its my garden they chose to live in :mad:



Edit...Ah bless a moderhater with a heart:)

Chinafoot

Hehe, cute.

We nicknamed the swans David and Victoria in first year because they both seemed a bit thick and the girl just idled on the island thingy like a princess.

Swans, like all birds, are creepy! The baby ones are cute though.

besty

singingstranger wrote:

The legal masterminds of our future, ladies and gentlemen. Susceptable to nothing but the occasional overwhelming by cuteness.

Hey, us law folk can be all serious and overbearing when we wan...hehehe, one of them just swam into the wall!

panda100

TheVan wrote:

Swans are fascinating, especially the big ones that flap their wings and go hissss and flap flap! ....aaaagghh!

Wow what a good impersination...is it a swan or the van??:)

The new baby ducklings have come out in herbert park too..there little flippers and cute baby ducky fur would make the hardest heart melt.....

Dave!

swans can be proper scary, let me tell ye! i was walking my dog in a park one day, and i turn the corner only to see no less than 8 fully grown swans obstructing the path! :eek: they looked like they were asleep, cos their heads were tucked in, and then my dog started to get a bit giddy, which woke them up... then the swans started making in our direction, HISSING LIKE RATTLESNAKES!!!

Uncool. I sh*t a brick and then made off in the other direction.

TheVan

Sometimes I wonder about swans. That lump on their beaks….what is it? Under normal circumstances I’d assume a brain. Probably not though. Ideas anyone? Do you know?











Ps….a code is hidden here…..

besty

TheVan wrote:

Sometimes I wonder about swans. That lump on their beaks….what is it? Under normal circumstances I’d assume a brain. Probably not though. Ideas anyone? Do you know?

Ps….a code is hidden here…..

That's S.T.U.P.I.D. TheVan, you're no Dan Brown

blondie83

The lady swan took over the lake there on Thursday and wouldnt let the male swan onto it - she sent him off to get food instead! cygnets (sp) are really really cute!

TheVan

Didnt want to challenge people....plus I have to do some study so it had to be quick!

Personally I think swans are stupid.....if we were to start talking about parrots (even dead ones....ex-parrots) I would be interested!

panda100

DaveMcG wrote:

swans can be proper scary, let me tell ye! i was walking my dog in a park one day, and i turn the corner only to see no less than 8 fully grown swans obstructing the path! :eek: they looked like they were asleep, cos their heads were tucked in, and then my dog started to get a bit giddy, which woke them up... then the swans started making in our direction, HISSING LIKE RATTLESNAKES!!!

Uncool. I sh*t a brick and then made off in the other direction.

They do hiss like rattlesnakes dont they!Generally though they are a beautiful,graceful, elegant with soft ivory skin...... actually I think I could have been a swan in a past life (that one was just for you john'chip on shoulder' humbert:p )

singingstranger

Is it wrong/bad of me that it took my brain this long to notice the Swan Lake reference? I swear, it's never crossed my mind in 2 years of UCD until right now.

tintinr35

interesting fact........a swan bit me in eurodisney when i was a kid!!! not fun at all the little ****er

Scraggs

Any swan watch updates? I was over by the lake myself there bout 10mins ago...but I forgot to have a look.

besty

Scraggs wrote:

Any swan watch updates? I was over by the lake myself there bout 10mins ago...but I forgot to have a look.

This lake update lark is turning into "Big Brother" style coverage. I'm expecting to see Davina legging it around 911 with a microphone and cameraman any time soon.

Scraggs

Exclusive interview and pics in 'Birdwatch Magazine' of Posh and Beaks[geddit!] and their newborn cygnets ....out now in all good newsagents

Chinafoot

geordie accent

Day three in the UCD lake.

The baby swans are still unaware that they are being watched by procrastinating students of UCD.

The parent swans are looking forward to today's task - seeing how many arms of said UCD student's they can break.

Mammy swan is called to the Diary Island and tells Big Brady that she's worried Daddy swan isn't pulling his weight. /geordie accent

Tune in later for more Big Brady.

singingstranger

Don't forget, folks: [Geordie accent again] If you want Ugly Duckling to win, call uh-nein-uh-dubbel-won, too-won, dubbel-fueh, ooh-won, uh text 'Vuut Duckling' to ay-ett dubbel-fueh, dubbel-fueh!...

Only three more days til we get that voice back again!

besty

singingstranger wrote:

Only three more days til we get that voice back again!

I hope this year is Big Brother's swan song

ferdi

did you know: an impact from a swans wing can have enough force to break a human arm.

you have been warned/

singingstranger

besty wrote:

I hope this year is Big Brother's swan song

I can hear the collective heaving and sighing throughout the Library building as I type..

beanyb

While sitting by the lake on Friday me and some friends saw two ducks getting it on. Quite disturbing really...

One of the swans was wandering around on the grass by the O'Reilly Hall on Thursday, was quite scared it was going to come bite me!

Scraggs

Theres a name for people like you beanyb...


tut tut tut I'm disgusted:p

DublinWriter

Swans lose any sort of 'cute' appeal if you live anywhere within 50 metres of them.

I once lived in a place that was very near a swan's nest on the Thames in Surrey. I can safely say the are the most vicious bullies I've ever seen, picking on poor little coots and chasing them away!

And it's probably just me, but look closely enough at a Swan and you'll see that it's actually wearing a pretty mean pair of wrap-around Ray Bans!

beanyb

Scraggs wrote:

Theres a name for people like you beanyb...


tut tut tut I'm disgusted:p

It actually took us a while to figure out what was going on! And it was a friend that noticed it. I'm totally innocent I swear!

garrath

Here are some images I snapped of the cygnets earlier.

Image 1
Image 2
Image 3

They're a little on the big side (the images that is, the cygnets are TINY).

rob1891

garrath wrote:

Here are some images I snapped of the cygnets earlier.

Image 1
Image 2
Image 3

They're a little on the big side (the images that is, the cygnets are TINY).

Taking bets on when the first one get's picked off by a hawk or fox or whatever is cunning enough to get around those evil swans. I say we'll lose the first one in a matter of days, muwwhaahaahaa.

hullaballoo

garrath wrote:

Here are some images I snapped of the cygnets earlier.

Image 1
Image 2
Image 3

They're a little on the big side (the images that is, the cygnets are TINY).

I think I actually saw you taking those photographs! No sign of the little critters at the moment.

Swans are fairly dangerous alright, I'd still fancy my chances against one in a fight though.

Slight side-note, but I notice there's a layer of scum on top of the lake at the moment.

panda100

garrath wrote:

Here are some images I snapped of the cygnets earlier.

Image 1
Image 2
Image 3

They're a little on the big side (the images that is, the cygnets are TINY).

awhhhhhh that is the cutest thing ever!!I almost feel like going down to the lake,putting one into my pocket and bringing it home with me.........

Blowfish

panda100 wrote:

awhhhhhh that is the cutest thing ever!!I almost feel like going down to the lake,putting one into my pocket and bringing it home with me.........

Heh, go on try it. You will be pecked to death by one of the parents before you get within 2 feet of one of them.

humbert

I can just imagine those pictures:p

Font22

garrath wrote:

Here are some images I snapped of the cygnets earlier.

Image 1
Image 2
Image 3

They're a little on the big side (the images that is, the cygnets are TINY).

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! we must get theVan to post the pic of the little duckling we saw in Ranelagh park. myself, theVan and Hull went on an extended lunch break on the bank holiday and got lovely pizzas!. i asked both of them nicely to catch the duckling for me so i cud bring it home but they were too chicken!!!! hahahaha see what i did there???

garrath

If you thought the last ones were cute, have a look at these:

Image 1
Image 2
Image 3

The cygnet was on the back of one of the swans.

Font22

I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!!!!! they are so cute!!!

Pythia

Funny, I was just talking to my boyfriend about this a few days ago. I was suprised the swans had had no cygnets this year.
Pity there's no baby ducks though.
Mmm, duck.

Hermione*

Aw, bless. Those pics of the cygnet on the swan's back are so cute!

Panda, I must take a walk to Herbert Park and see the ducklings ... I haven't been in the park in ages!

The_Minister

beanyb wrote:

While sitting by the lake on Friday me and some friends saw two ducks getting it on. Quite disturbing really...

This was posted at me once - enjoy

Article wrote:

Ducks behave pretty badly, it seems. It is not so much that up to one in 10 of mallard couples are homosexual - no one would raise an eyebrow in the liberal Netherlands - but they regularly indulge in "attempted rape flights" when they pursue other ducks with a view to forcible mating. "Rape is a normal reproductive strategy in mallards," explains Mr Moeliker.

As he recounts in his seminal paper, The first case of homosexual necrophilia in the mallard anas platyrhynchos, he was in his office in the Natuurmuseum Rotterdam, when he was alerted by a bang to the fact a bird had crashed into the glass facade of the building. "I went downstairs immediately to see if the window was damaged, and saw a drake mallard (anas platyrhynchos) lying motionless on its belly in the sand, two metres outside the facade. The unfortunate duck apparently had hit the building in full flight at a height of about three metres from the ground. Next to the obviously dead duck, another male mallard (in full adult plumage without any visible traces of moult) was present. He forcibly picked into the back, the base of the bill and mostly into the back of the head of the dead mallard for about two minutes, then mounted the corpse and started to copulate, with great force, almost continuously picking the side of the head.

humbert

I honestly think that's the weirdest thing I've encountered on the internet. I worry about how you spend your time firespinner:p

tintinr35

peachypants wrote:

geordie accent

Day three in the UCD lake.

The baby swans are still unaware that they are being watched by procrastinating students of UCD.

The parent swans are looking forward to today's task - seeing how many arms of said UCD student's they can break.

Mammy swan is called to the Diary Island and tells Big Brady that she's worried Daddy swan isn't pulling his weight. /geordie accent

Tune in later for more Big Brady.

roffl ah brilliant

Blush_01

I'm sad that I'm missing out.

As vicious as swans are with regards to protecting themselves and their families, they're also intensely loyal. And have monogamous relationships. Hell, if someone tried to kill one of my *future* kids, I'd more than break their arm. You can't blame them, they are wild. It's a (concrete) jungle out there!

kittenkiller

Yay!
Go swans!
Can't believe I'm only finding out now.
Should've gone in to study yesterday.

Pythia

Blush_01 wrote:

I'm sad that I'm missing out.

As vicious as swans are with regards to protecting themselves and their families, they're also intensely loyal. And have monogamous relationships. Hell, if someone tried to kill one of my *future* kids, I'd more than break their arm. You can't blame them, they are wild. It's a (concrete) jungle out there!

I just want to rub the baby swans, not kill them. Just like you want to hold a puppy or kitten. If I could only convey that to Mummy swan.

rob1891

Font22 wrote:

I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!!!!! they are so cute!!!

Can be arranged. Dead or alive?

hullaballoo

rob1891 wrote:

Can be arranged. Dead or alive?

You just touch one of them. Go on. I dare you. I have a Barrett (.5) trained on anyone who comes within 15m of them.

humbert

Note to self: avoid the lake, actually move quickly and unpredictably in around the whole library area.

rob1891

hullaballoo wrote:

You just touch one of them. Go on. I dare you. I have a Barrett (.5) trained on anyone who comes within 15m of them.

You know why garrath is taking those pictures, right? They'll be on ebay by tomorrow, we have a plan!

Anyone know what happened to the signets last year? They were an interesting distraction from postgraduate summer (still-in-friggin-ucd-sucks-like-hell) life. I guess pappa swan kicked them out of the lake when they got big enough.

The_Minister

hullaballoo wrote:

You just touch one of them. Go on. I dare you. I have a Barrett (.5) trained on anyone who comes within 15m of them.

After what happened in Blackrock park I can't help but agree.

rob1891

Firespinner wrote:

After what happened in Blackrock park I can't help but agree.

what happened?

humbert

Went out for a gander but they've gone all reclusive, very disapointing.