WHITE SWANS 'DOWN UNDER'

In her Sunday Selections EC showed beautiful photos she had taken of kangaroos and black swans.  Mention was made that there are no white swans in Australia but in fact there are and here is where they live.

 The first white swans were introduced to Australia during the 19th century,  In 1896 the white swan was introduced into Western Australia by British colonists.  In the early 1900s, it is believed a Russian settler and the town's mayor, Oscar Bernard, introduced white swans to Northam in Western Australia.  Surprisingly the Avon River in Northam became the only place in Australia where the newly introduced bird survived and today it is still the only place in Australia where white swans breed naturally in the wild.

 There are about 80 swans on the Avon River and a new breeding programme is under way to help replenish the many aging birds.  The white swan became a protected species in 1950 under the *Department of CALM Wilflife Conservation Act.  This means it is illegal to remove a white swan from the wild, keep a swan as a pet or release a swan into the wild without the appropriate licence.  The swan is a protected species and in Northam they are cared for and watched over by local volunteer Swan Wardens.

The white swan (Cygnus olor) originated from Europe and Asia.  It enjoys eating water plants, fish, frogs, insects and a crustacean or two.  They can weight up to 15kg and will deliver a nasty bite and  whack with their wings if provoked.  When a male swan (cob) and a female swan (a pen) become partners they remain monogamous throughout their lives.  The female swan can lay up to twelve eggs during each breeding season and it take between 35-40 days for the eggs to hatch.

Though white swans in the northern hemisphere migrate to warmer climates during the winter months, in Australia (Northam) they stay happily along the Avon River.  This is due to the mild winter weather conditions and the abundance of food.

Many thanks to westaustralianvista.com for this information. Photos obtained free on Google search.

*NOTE:  The Department of CALM was originally the Forests Department of Western Australia where I worked for 12 years.  During that time it became Department of Conservation and Land Management, and, after I left, Department of the Environment and Conservation and is now The Department of Parks and Wildlife.  My daughter began working for the Forests Department back in the 1980s when we job shared.  At that time we were typists but she has moved on to bigger and better things and now runs her own publication section and makes a wonderful success of it.