Rescuing baby black swans - Western Australia

Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well. 

Here in the south west of Western Australia it has been baby black swan rescue time again. 

This is something I only heard about in February. Every year the Geographe Bay Wildlife Rescue in Busselton, in the south west of Western Australia, rescue black swan cygnets that have been abandoned by their parents, feeding and raising them, and then returning them to waterways, including the Leschenault Estuary near where I live. 

Why is this necessary? The below information is from an article from ABC.net - ABC.net-Hundreds of cygnets found stranded at sea

An increasingly dry climate is forcing adult birds to abandon their young in search of a better food source, leaving flocks of baby swans, known as cygnets, to fend for themselves.

When cygnets are abandoned by their parents, they often migrate away from wetlands in search of water, finding themselves in the ocean and unable to fly against strong winds or swim against currents.

It is up to volunteers, in collaboration with wildlife organisation Geo Bay Wildlife Rescue, to head out to sea and scoop them up, with the team being called out on a daily basis.

In early February volunteer, Mr Fish says they had rescued 200 so far this year, with last season seeing 400 cygnets rescued.

Incredibly, when we went down to the beach to watch the Australia Day fireworks, near the outlet from the Leschenault Estuary into Koombana Bay in Bunbury, in the fading light we saw a group of swans swimming on the ocean. We couldn't see them clearly but we couldn't understand why they were there. It was only a few days later that we saw an interview on our TV news about the cygnet rescue program. Evidently this has been happening for nearly 60 years. This group of cygnets was evidently lost. I now wonder what happened to them. There is no feed for them along the ocean coast. 

A few weeks later we heard that fledged cygnets were being released into the Leschenault Estuary so we went around to  try and see them. We could see swans far out in the middle of the estuary but then a flock of them took off near the bank, where we hadn't seen them, when we stopped our car. Some stayed around, I think these little guys weren't fully fledged yet to fly. 

Here are some photos. 

With thanks to the Geo Bay Wildlife Rescue and similar organisations, it was beautiful to see these black swans living free in their natural environment. 

To find out more, and how you can help them continue the wonderful work they do, not only with black swans but also other wild animals, go to -  

Geo Bay Wildlife Rescue on Facebook

Here is a video so you can learn more -

A few facts for you -

The black swans scientific name, Cygnus atratus, means 'a swan attired in black.'

The Noongar name for the black swan in Western Australia is Maali (also spelled Mali or Marlee)  

Other Indigenous names across Australia include Koltjak, Barayamal (Gamilaraay), Kunuwara (Yartwatjali/Tjapwurrung/Djadjawurrung), and Kaylarunya in Tasmania

Story from Aboriginal Dreamtime. ''The black swan was once white. Long ago all swans were white. They boasted of how beautiful they were until the eagle became angry and attacked the swans. In the process the swans lost most of their feathers and cried they were cold. Crow took pity on the swans, removing feathers from his own back to cover the swans. The feathers became implanted however some white feathers remain to forever remind swan that he was once white''

Black swans are found throughout most of Australia, particularly in the southwest and southeast regions, inhabiting wetlands, lakes, rivers, and estuaries. They are most common in areas with permanent water and aquatic vegetation. 

The Swan River in Western Australia's capital city Perth, was named in 1697 by Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh who called it Swarte Swaene-Revier (Swan River) due to the abundance of black swans he encountered. The area was known to the Noongar people as Derbarl Yerrigan, and the city of Perth was founded along the river in 1829.

The official state bird emblem of Western Australia is the black swan. It features on our state flag. 

This photo below I took of a nesting pair in the middle of a Perth park a couple of years ago. The mother hustled the cygnets under her wings and I think that's the father floating nearby. 

I hope you have enjoyed this post about black swans. 

More information at: Australian Museum - black swans

Geo Bay Wildlife Rescue on Facebook

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
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Paperbarks - Leschenault Estuary, Australind, Western Australia

 Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well. After a burst of sunny spring weather it seems like we have been plunged back into winter. 

However, this morning was cool, cloudy, but no rain imminent, and no wind, so we decided to take our morning walk through the paperbarks along Cathedral Avenue, which skirts along one side of the Leschenault Inlet in Australind only about 10 minutes from our home. I have blogged about it before, but I was surprised how long ago it was:  Paperbark Cathedral - Leschenault Estuary

Cathedral Avenue was part of the original Old Coast Road coach route from Mandurah to Bunbury, used by prominent figures like colonial settlers Thomas Peel and Marshall Waller Clifton in the early to mid-1800s. 

Paperbark trees line the road. They are of unknown age, but likely to date from the early to mid-1800s when the road was established as a coach route. It is believed that gangs of convicts cut the roadway through the trees. The trees arch over the road forming a cathedral like appearance, hence the name Cathedral Avenue. 

When we first came to Bunbury we could drive along under the trees, but since then a road has been diverted around the trees, and the original road is now a safe pathway for waking and cycling. It is a lovely shady walk under the trees. On the return you can divert to a path along the water's edge of the Leschenault Estuary.

We have walked along here many times, but it wasn't until today that we discovered that there are two varieties of paperbarks growing along here. Perhaps I looked at them more closely as they were flowering. 

The most distinctive feature of the paperbark is their multi-layered, paper-like bark, which consists of thin, papery layers separated by fibrous material. The Noongar people used this papery, waterproof bark for wrapping food, making shelters, creating bandages and using as toilet paper.   

I do love the delicious textures.

There are many varieties of paperbark - here is an interesting link from INaturalist Australia.  There are over 200 species in the genus Melaleuca. 

Below is the Swamp Paperbark - Melaleuca rhaphiophylla 

The Swamp Paperbark is a small to medium tree growing to 10 metres high with greyish white paper bark. It can be found near both fresh and saline water. It has narrow needle like leaves and clusters of very fragrant creamy flowers. It flowers from spring to summer. 

The Indigenous Noongar name for Melaleuca rhaphiophylla is Bibool or Yowarl, and for the Minang people (a Noongar group), it is yourl or yorral borrna. 

Below is the Saltwater Paperbark - Melaleuca cuticularis 

This is a small gnarled tree up to 7 metres high with very white papery bark. It grows in salty wetlands. The 5-12mm long leaves are arranged in two opposite pairs forming four regular lines of the leaves down the stems. It has white to cream, very fragrant flowers, singularly or in clusters spring to early summer. 

The Indigenous name for Melaleuca cuticularis, is often Yoorl in the Noongar/Nyungar language, with variations like yourl and yorral borrna also documented from the Minang/Menang people.

A couple of other flowers we saw today along the Cathedral Avenue walk path - one of the eucalypt gum trees, pink fairy orchids, and one of the wattles. 

That's it from me today. I hope you have enjoyed my post about paperbark trees. 

Update - 10 October - today we went walking at Manea Nature Reserve - and we came across another variety of paperbark - the Stout Paperbark -  Melaleuca preissiana, also known for its indigenous name - modong or moonah,

This tree can grow to 10-15 metres. This old gnarly one we saw was definitely an old growth tree judging by the height of it and the width of the base. Its thin pointed leaves are arranged alternately and are 6–14 mm (0.2–0.6 in) long. the white to pale cream flowers form in clumps at the end of the branches, and it flowers January to March. We will have to go back in summer to see the flowers. 

Now our eyes were open to them we saw quite a few of the Stout Paperbark at Manea, along with the Swamp Paperbark. 

You might also like - 

Paperbark Cathedral, Lescenault Estuary

Eucalypt Swamp Yate - Leschenault Estuary

Where the Pelicans meet

Finding Spoonbills along the Leschenault Estuary

For more information - 

Australian Native Plant Society

INaturalist

Flora Base

Atlas of Living Australia

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!

If you are looking for a translate button - it's there near the top on the right hand side. 
   

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Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Until then, enjoy your day...Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy, be kind, and be with people who make you smile. 

Eucalypt Swamp Yate

 Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been around much the last couple of months, but I am still here. Just life seems to be keeping me busy busy. And I just don't seem to be able to get into the blogging groove. But I will. 

I hope you are all well, as we are here. 

This is Eucalyptus occidentalis - Swamp Yate - a eucalyptus new to me. Well I had seen it before, but not registered it was something different. It is flowering right now along the Leschenault Estuary near Bunbury in Western Australia's south west. A great place to go for a walk.

If you are interested in seeing more I have blogged about the Leschenault Estuary before here:  Lescheanult Estuary and the Paperbark walk

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you and yours are doing well. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 
Our World Tuesday
Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.