Photos: Arne Ader
Translation: Liis
Moulting mute swans. Hara bay
On our coasts an estimated three to three and a half thousand mute swan pairs nested this year, roughly a couple of thousands of them successfully. The families keep to themselves, fending off species comrades from the own areas quite viciously with raised wings - they are not sociable birds.
We have had a long period of beach-going weather and with a wind from the sea some swan feathers have always been lying about on the beach sands in the mornings.
The graceful mute swans were brought to Europe in the 16th-17th century but they became numerous only in the first half of the 20th century.
Only 100 years ago they were a rarity in Estonia: in 1908 - 28 there were 2 nesting pairs in the Kuressaare bay; around Virtsu nesters were noticed in 1955. In Muhumaa, at Suuremõisa the first nesters were noted in 1959…
Swan feather
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