General Discussion

Today's Gazette reports that the town is to get 2 new female black swans. Thanks go to Dawlish Town Council for investigating and resolving this. 

Apparently all remaining black swans are male! And we can't be having that! :-)

That's good news, however had they not sold all five cynets two years ago buying two more would not have been needed.

No cygnets have been sold by the Council whilst I've been a member (That is since May 2011)

Broolyne Bridge.  You are quite right they (previoous council ) did sell five cygnets  to private collectors

So not quite right then, as it wasn't 2 years ago!  Though I admit that time flies - unlike the swans...

As you say time does fly. This group of cynets were hatched under Jubilee bridge I do beleive 5 of them. Of course we don't now what sex they were. However they were born spring 2013. My wife and I came to Dawlish September 2012 and remembering watching the swan under the bridge nesting and we saw the chicks on our return from the States during the summer of 2013. Perhaps Micheal you knew nothig about the sale of said chicks. But the question remains why sell them?

You saw the cygnets last year?  12 months after you claim they were sold? Eh?

I believe those eggs never hatched

Correct: 

https://www.dawlish.com/thread/details/22971

Brooklyn Bridge is getting confused with the years. He was posting on here from here during the winter and spring of 2013. 

Getting older loosing my marbles.

If anyone needs the dates of the sale of 5 cygnets ask the then Councillor Wills as he was heavily involved with the sale, also Town Clerk J Winchester using FOI

One of the females was swept away by the storms earlier in the year and the other was killed by a dog attack. As these attacks seem to happen on a fairly regular basis, can anyone explain to me why no-one is ever prosecuted for having a dog which is out of control in a public place?

Thanks Cassandra. And I think that we can safely accept Brooklyn's apology (even though he forgot the word "sorry")...

JC... So no cygnets have been hatched in the past 3 plus years?  I first came to Dawlish 2010 and I thought there have been cygnets born since that time. According to the game warden there was a sale made or am I really going senile. Ps Sorry for not saying sorry JC lol.

senile.

BB you are correct there have been signets hatched, 2 years ago by the road bridge we watched as a signet was snatched by a seagull and this upset our grandson so much that we had to bring him home. Still to this day he hates the gulls and puts his money that he brings with him in the pipe by the side of the aviary.So your not so senile.

Back to these 5 cygnets that were sold two years ago in 2013...

Anyway, back to the initial subject. I'm disappointed that no one else on here shares my thanks to the Town Council. 

2014 minus 2 is 2012 ? Yes well done to the town council for taking steps to  replenish the swan stock.

Exactly Ken. On both counts. 

So the two swans that were making a nest platform the other day opposite Gay's (how apt) are both male ?

What is Dawlish coming to ?

Yes, I agree thanks to the council for stepping in to purchase a couple of swans. The black swans of Dawlish are quite a tourist attraction as with all the wildfowl that live in and around the brook, it's wonderful gem for the town.  If any young are born in the near future is there any way of protecting the young one's, I don't suppose putting them in the pen would be a solution....

Totally agree. In recent years, cygnets have been put into the pen for the own protection - with mum and/or dad nearby.  I'm sure that once the swans begin to breed (in a couple of Springs time?) then the warden will do everything he can to look after them.