Black Swans on the Avon Heathcote Estuary

The black swans are gathering in good numbers at present, even though the start of the hunting season was last Saturday. Maybe they know that they're safe on the Estuary, fairly near to town! 

This swan, the black swan (Cygnus atratus) is one of New Zealand's largest wetland birds, around 1.2 metres long and weighing 5 - 6 kilograms. The species has traditionally been regarded as introduced, but intriguingly, the extinct native swan, previously named Cygnus sumnerensis, is now thought to have been the same species as the black swan. Curious!