Mill Pond ~ Swan Update ~ 2004

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=45 BGCOLOR="#0099FF" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <I>Mill Pond ~ Swan Update ~ 2004 </I></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=415 BGCOLOR="#0099FF" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <I>A Chronology Of Events On The Marstons Mills Mill Pond</I></div> <div> ________________________________________________________________________</div> <bR> <div> <I>NOTE: This story begins at the bottom of this page [</I><A HREF="#nest_built" TITLE="Mill Pond Swan Update 2004"><U><I>here</I></U></A><I>] and moves forward in time as you read up</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  June 23, 2004  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Cygnets Born!</B></div> <div> Well, after a long, long wait two cygnets were born today [and two more the next day]. Unfortunately, only two survive the first week.</div> <bR> <div> The picture below was taken June 24th, with the two born on June 23rd already swimming and the two born the 24th still in the nest.</div> <div>  </div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id563.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mill Pond Swan Update 2004 "><U><IMG SRC="131596700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  June 7, 2004  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Nothing yet ...</B></div> <div> It's been 32 days now since the eggs arrived and with the normal time being 35-42 days to hatch, something could happen any day now.</div> <bR> <div> On June 3rd, while the pen rolls the eggs over with her bill [below] at least 5 eggs are spotted in the nest.</div> <bR> <div> The pen and cob both remember the photographer from last year as not being a threat to them, which is just amazing. A stranger would be immediately challenged and attacked. It took many hours of gradual familiarization last year to gain that acceptance.</div> <bR> <div> Now, she is unafraid with his presence and makes no objection to his close proximity [just 5 feet away from the nest when this picture was taken]. The cob is to the right, behind the brush.</div> <bR> <div> Pat from Rochester, NY wrote on May 22nd with questions about the swans she's been watching on Irondequoit Bay. There's been a growing population there over the last few years [about 40 now] but she has never seen any cygnets. The webmaster explained that this was most likely a colony of young swans who will pair off when they reach 4-5 years of age.</div> <bR> <div> She said she's watched nests being built again this year, but not any little ones and wondered what was going on. Then she wrote again on May 28th to say she's had babies: one family with 3 and another with 5. Congratulations Pat!</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id497.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mill Pond Swan Update 2004 "><U><IMG SRC="120b96700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A> </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</B><B>  </B><B>May 6, 2004  </B><B>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Eggs Arrive!</B></div> <div> Three eggs are spotted today, with more probably to come.</div> <bR> <div> Peter Erceg provides the following history of when the cygnets have arrived in past years:</div> <bR> <div> 2003 ~ May 5-6, 8 eggs yielded 5 cygnets; 1 dies the next day; 4 survivors left the pond early March, 2004. See story <A HREF="id317.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mill Pond Swan Update 2003 "><U>here</U></A>.</div> <div> 2002 ~ A disaster... While the nest was built at a location out of easy view, it was occupied during all of April, and then there was a clear and abrupt abandonment, as if the eggs were destroyed. See story <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mill Pond Swan Update 2002 "><U>here</U></A>.</div> <div> 2001 ~ April 28, 6 eggs yielded 3 cygnets; only 2 survived past June 1; those 2 left the pond early March, 2002</div> <div> 2000 ~ Nest was built and occupied but no cygnets; a second attempt with another nest built in a new location in late May yielded nothing.</div> <div> 1999 ~ No record</div> <div> 1998 ~ April 30</div> <div> 1997 ~ May 5</div> <div> 1996 ~ No record</div> <div> 1995 ~ May 3</div> <div> 1994 ~ No record</div> <div> 1992 ~ May 1</div> <div> 1991 ~ No record</div> <div> 1990 ~ April 26</div> <div> 1989 and prior ~ No record</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id498.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mill Pond Swan Update 2004 "><U><I><IMG SRC="120d96700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  May 3, 2004  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>A Second Try!!!</B></div> <div> The cob and pen are spotted rebuilding the nest used in 2003! </div> <bR> <div> Since this nest is probably still 85-90% of what it was, they finished rebuilding it in a matter of days and by May 5 the pen [below] has settled in.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id485.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mill Pond Swan Update 2004 "><U><IMG SRC="120996700.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="112" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  April 15, 2004  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Something's Very Wrong...</B></div> <div> The pen has been spotted off of her nest now for a couple of days and that can only mean one thing: something has happened to the eggs.</div> <bR> <div> She stayed on her nest for several weeks, so it's fair to guess there was a clutch and then something went wrong and she abandoned them. Most probably, some animal attacked the nest.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</B><B>  </B><B>Early March, 2004</B><B>  </B><B>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Nest Built</B><B> <A NAME="nest_built"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> This years's nest was built in an inaccessible area of the Mill Pond close to where the nest was built in 2002. Due to the remote location, it will be difficult to get any good pictures this year.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-379555-1"; urchinTracker(); </script>  </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=20 BGCOLOR="#CCCCCC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Links:</FONT>  <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to Marstons Mills"><U>Home</U></A> | <A HREF="map.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="MarstonsMills.org Site Map"><U>SiteMap</U></A> | <A HREF="id486_m.htm" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Mill Pond Swan Update 2004"><U>Top</U></A> | <A HREF="id485.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mill Pond Swan Update 2004 "><U>First Picture</U></A> | <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >E-mail the Webmaster: </FONT><A HREF="mailto:webmaster@marstonsmills.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:webmaster@marstonsmills.org"><U>webmaster@marstonsmills.org</U></A> |  <A NAME="page_new_june_7_2004"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Page new: June 7, 2004</FONT></div> </td> </tr></table></body>