Athlone cygnets missing

Oxter

Untill last weekend there were 2 swans with 6 cygnets in Athlone, near the weir.

This morning 5 of the cygnets had disappeared.

Any ideas?

fryup

pike or maybe mink

Oxter

fryup wrote: »

pike or maybe mink

All 5? Theae were large cygnets, approx 2/3 adult size

Both parents very tame

Half-cocked

This is a problem around Dublin too - groups of almost fully grown cygnets disappearing suddenly. Its being investigated and no one has been caught yet but its all pointing to the cygnets ending up being consumed by people rather than natural predators.

Recent survey of nesting Mute Swans in the Dublin area shows productivity of cygnets is high but overall numbers of Mute Swans are falling.

Some concerned residents along the canals have even put up signs warning people off from grabbing swans.

whyulittle

They had to put up a 'No Shooting' sign in Burgess Park in Athlone a few years ago! Park is right on the river.

Oxter

whyulittle wrote: »

They had to put up a 'No Shooting' sign in Burgess Park in Athlone a few years ago! Park is right on the river.

Theae were not shot - no reports of shots fired or other signs of shooting.

The birds were very tame and were often hand fed. They travelled upriver to the bridge every afternoon for feeding.

I presume they were just grabbed and taken.

Seems they disappeared on Saturday night last (12-13 August)

August 15th is a national holiday for several countries.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Oxter wrote: »

Theae were not shot - no reports of shots fired or other signs of shooting.

The birds were very tame and were often hand fed. They travelled upriver to the bridge every afternoon for feeding.

I presume they were just grabbed and taken.

Seems they disappeared on Saturday night last (12-13 August)

August 15th is a national holiday for several countries.

I'm sorry, but there is neither evidence nor probability that these cygnets were actually taken by anybody, nor that those responsible were of any particular nationality.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Quite often at this time of year Swans can form a new pair if the male is old or has died. The new male will often drive any cygnets from the previous pair from the water.

Edit. Also, fox and mink have been known to take adult swans.

Oxter

Tripp Gray Candlestick wrote: »

Quite often at this time of year Swans can form a new pair if the male is old or has died. The new male will often drive any cygnets from the previous pair from the water.

Edit. Also, fox and mink have been known to take adult swans.

Both adults are still there with one remaining cygnet.

1 or 2 out of 6 disappearing overnight might be natural predators, not 5 out of 6 with no bodies or feathers left.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Oxter wrote: »

Both adults are still there with one remaining cygnet.

1 or 2 out of 6 disappearing overnight might be natural predators, not 5 out of 6 with no bodies or feathers left.

Ok you're determined some person took them. But, believe it or not, a fox or mink should take the lot in one night.

Oxter

Tripp Gray Candlestick wrote: »

Ok you're determined some person took them. But, believe it or not, a fox or mink should take the lot in one night.

A mink might kill them all, but not dispose of all the bodies with no traces left. A very hungry fox couldnt eat all 5 missing birds either

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Oxter wrote: »

A mink might kill them all, but not dispose of all the bodies with no traces left. A very hungry fox couldnt eat all 5 missing birds either

I'm not going to debate hypotheticals all night but ever hear of mink and foxes caching food?

magicbastarder

Oxter wrote: »

A very hungry fox couldnt eat all 5 missing birds either

it doesn't necessarily need to eat them at the scene of the crime.

Oxter

Tripp Gray Candlestick wrote: »

I'm not going to debate hypotheticals all night but ever hear of mink and foxes caching food?

Yes. None of the missing Dublin cygnets were found cached.
Possible they are cached in a freezer.

See post by Half-cocked above

OpenYourEyes

Mod Note:

Two things:

1) The reason most birds and animals have large clutches/broods/litters etc is because mortality in the early stages of life is so high. If each breeding pair produces one young per year that goes on to breed later on, then they're doing well.

2) Every year up and down the country there are anecdotal stories of people taking swans using various methods. Given that these stories remain almost completely anecdotal I'm not sure how much is to be gained by continued discussion about it. To a certain extent it's probably just perpetuating hearsay from previous years and likely building it up to be something more frequent and widespread than it actually is.


So, given how anecdotal these stories are I don't want any suggestions, hints, nods or winks to who may or may not be responsible. If you want to say that people could have taken them for whatevver reason then alright. Anything more descriptive in terms of race or geographic origin of those people and you better have a link to a court case to back up what you're saying. Let's not forget that we have a terrible record when it comes to wildlife ourselves in Ireland - raptor and mammalian predator persecution, poisoning of predators and plenty of non-target animals, general poaching, there are even NPWS reports where you'll find that people have shot at Herons etc in the very recent past, and these are only the things we know about.

Oxter

The missing cygnets have reappeared.
2 had been fouled by fishing line and hooks, now removed. 1 has been rejected by the parents and is on the lake.
The other 5 are back with the 2 adults.

The bagpiper on the bridge says he was not mistaken for the Pied Piper.

The myatery remains, but mute swans dont talk.

Half-cocked

A happy ending.

And a reminder to us anglers to be careful about disposing of old tackle properly. Sadly, a lot of tackle ends up lost on river and lake beds where it becomes a hazard for wildlife.