June 9
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Bore da
A black swan flew over the reserve yesterday - we couldn't believe it!
Idris and Telyn saw it flying by, but realised it wasn't a threat, despite coming very cose to the nest
The black swan is native to Australia, so it has definitely not flown here!
The black swan is a popular bird in zoological gardens and bird collections in western Europe, especially in the UK, and escapees are commonly reported.
As yet, the UK population is not considered to be self-sustaining and so the species is not afforded admission to the official British List, but the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust have recorded a maximum of nine breeding pairs in the UK in 2001, with an estimate of 43 feral birds in 2003–2004.
A small population of black swans exists on the River Thames at Marlow, on the brook running through the small town of Dawlish in Devon, near the River Itchen, Hampshire, and the River Tees near Stockton on Tees.
The Dawlish population is so well associated with the town that the bird has been the town's emblem for forty years.
A truly black-swan event yesterday, just not as rare these days...
