Swan Spaghetti

We enjoy our very rudimentary picnic lunch by the sea today - just east of the Menai Straits looking over towards Anglesey. A large gathering of swans floats aimlessly in the middle distance. To be honest, I’m not really interested in their photographic potential, particularly as the water is rippled grey despite the sunshine. 

But then the breeze calms, the sunshine intensifies, and the swans decide to come towards the shore. By now the water is a dreamy blue, smooth and reflective, and the prospect of a swan Blip becomes far more inviting. 

These swans seem to be juveniles, their snowy feathers still flecked with brownish grey, living as a flock until they mate at around four years of age. We watch as they come into the shallows and bend their elegant necks allowing beaks to trawl for tasty sea vegetation. Then up come their heads, trailing watery weed. A quick twist back and forth, shaking off excess water, and the tasty snack is ready to ingest - swan spaghetti successfully slurped.