We are told there are now 4 chicks with the two adult black swans which call Lake Bellvista "Home".This photo only shows two of them with mum and dad but we were told by a passer by he had seen 4 chicks.
The eels which live in the lake seem to be the biggest problem for these young guys growing up, reaching maturity and then flying away.
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My wife and I were at the lake yesterday and saw (4) swan chicks with mum and dad and then as we were watching one of the chicks was pulled under the water surface by one of the many freshwater eels that live in our lake.We were both horrified at the time by what looked like another swan chick being killed by an eel.But just as we were about to turn away up ! popped the chick looking very wet ! and shocked ! for the experience.The chick then got as close to it's mother as it could with dad looking after the other(3)chicks.
ReplyDeleteThe day before this I had taken pictures of the family of swans ( mum,dad and the 4 chicks ) and did at that time see the male swan flap and peck at the water surface in an attempt to chase away the eel(s).
This event has convinced me that the same thing must have happened to the (12) ducklings in the lake the week before.
Since then I have done some research on the freshwater eel only to find out that they are a 'carnivore' and normally eat dragonfly larvae and small fish.
They can live for 50 years and grow to 3 metres in length.
When you consider that there may be any
number of these creatures in the lake now,the fate of any small creature such as the ducklings or the swan chicks can only be as food for these eels.
I am not sure what can be done about this situation because it would appear that these eels are very hungry and will eat anything small enough for them to swallow.
So sad to see the swan mum and dad with their remaining chick last week. They were taking it for a walk and were both very protective. I saw one of them giving the chick a ride on their back across the lake, I guess desperately trying to protect it.
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