Spring pairing of swans and ducks on the R. Frome

I had a far too early start to my day, getting ready to go to my dentist fifteen miles away in Cheltenham, where I had to be by 0950! I got there early and enjoyed the drive across the Cotswold hilltops, but the actual treatment wasn't so good. I had a slightly strange reaction to the anaesthetic but the treatment itself went well, and I'm glad it has been done.

Cheltenham seemed to be getting on a war footing for the massive annual steeplechase horse festival, which starts tomorrow when hundreds of thousands of people will arrive to party. I shall avoid it. I went shopping on the way home for basmati rice, vegetables from the farm shop, a supermarket run, cat food, and some joint relief pills for me. Bomble is having his own set of similar pills. I wonder if we can compare notes on their effectiveness.

On Mondays, I always pick Helena up from her afternoon teaching job, which takes place at an old converted industrial site a couple of miles up the Frome valley near Brimscombe. I deliberately arrived early so that I could watch the swans by the bridge over the river Frome, about one hundred yards from where I pick her up. As I sorted out my camera , a young man hailed me in my car and told me to beware of the swans. I did know that they were a bit frisky at times, but he seemed to suggest that things were worse than normal. I thanked him as he wandered off, and then another man passed and seeing my camera said I should take care. Apparently the pair of swans are terrorising the residents of this lane by the river and since they live there they should know. The swans climb out of the water onto the bank and chase people and also apparently attack cars parked there!

I chanced my luck, having previously experienced some of this behaviour, and have had to run away from them quickly on other occasions. I am quite happy to accept that this is their territory. I watched today and noticed they were very active, swimming up and down the river, and coming towards anyone who went near the bank which I expect the y rightly regard as 'theirs'. The male swan several times chased its partner, nipping it in the back and generally being belligerent. It also tried to take flight for a few yards when apparently chasing its mate, but no harm was done. The pair of ducks were quite content to swim around beside the swans and easily swam away when ever the squabbles broke out.

When the male swan got out and up onto the river bank and then quickly waddled towards me, I thought it best to retreat to the car and go off to pick up Helena. Then both of them came towards me and once I was in the car they started biting the front bonnet with serious intent. Ii reversed away.

You can see some of those incidents here on my Flickr gallery.