Three swans

A busy and enjoyable day, hence the back-blip.  Spent the day at Caerlaverock WWT reserve, where the main species at this time of year are whooper swans and barnacle geese.  The whoopers come here from Iceland, Scandinavia and Siberia to spend the winter.

The swans are fed twice daily at Caerlaverock to ensure they return to their summer homes in top breeding condition, as they face threats to their survival.  Thirty percent of the swans arriving at the reserve have shotgun pellets embedded within their body tissue, and half have ingested lead shot with their food.

The extra shows a male wigeon surrounded at the feeding pond.

Later, out for dinner with friends for my birthday.