Beautiful Birds: Mute Swans at Mistley

Seven swans (almost) a-swimming ...

'When shall we three ...

. . . meet again? In thunder, lightning or in rain?'

We enjoyed seeing these Mute Swans at Mistley near Manningtree over the holiday. These fine birds on the Stour estuary are well known: you can read about them here. They are one of the world's most aggressive species of waterfowl.

The Queen exerts ownership rights over all swans in the UK and they are also protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Other birds seen during this first week in 2013 include ...

1] Blue tit (HP = home patch)
2] Chaffinch (HP)
3] Feral Pigeon (HP)
4] Magpie (HP)
5] Mute Swans (Mistley)

Second week update ...

6] Blackbird (HP)
7] Goldfinch (HP)
8] Great tit (HP)
9] Greenfinch (HP)
10] Robin (HP) 
11] Marsh harrier (Minsmere)
12] Black-headed gull (Minsmere) 

I hope to see more very soon!