In the rough rude sea……

In Eyemouth boatyard, boats are stripped to the bare metal and painted.  The bright colours  make them visible to shipping and perhaps  chase away the blues. Then after many hours at sea, the scouring of salt and weather strips the paint to reveal subtle  hues of complementary colours. The letters denote the place of registration.  LH 109 is the port […]

Not in my back yard……..

Swans are fiercely territorial.  The young herring gull, caught between the river and the harbour mouth, is shown little mercy by the parent swans. The cygnets, mimicking parental behaviour, join in the one-sided skirmish. The gull finds sanctuary on the river bank, but with a damaged wing, its chances of survival are poor.

Breaking up is hard to do….

The man in the Fishermen’s Mutual Association, as reliable a source as you could hope  for, has confirmed the story of the cygnet  with the broken leg.  A telephone call to the Berwick Swan and Wildlife Trust flagged up the injury and the cygnet was picked up at the nest.  It will receive treatment then be […]

Take to the water…..

The last of the cygnets to hatch remains in the safety of the nest. Eight cygnets hatched successfully over a period of  two days……and not an ugly duckling in sight! Six of the cygnets, those which hatched first, are quick to learn the behaviour of the adult, swimming and foraging in the bank for food. […]