Swans & Ducks on Frozen Loch

[AlMorr]

I went a short slow walk around the route I run, I am sorry that I did not have any food for those swan's and 🦆 ducks

[Buddy34 Graduate]

Beautiful photo AlMorr 🤩

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Buddy34]

It would have been absolutely suicidal to have run this morning, I walked very slowly around Broadwood Loch, I did not see any runners but there were a few walkers, plenty of children sledging in the snow that fell during the night, the weather forecast is for milder weather starting on Sunday or Monday.

[limu_mu Graduate]

Love this pic! Swans and ducks.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to limu_mu]

Someone will come and give them bread, bread is not recommended for swans.

[limu_mu Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

Until recently we could not feed our swans and ducks anything, unless you bought food from the lakeside store.. Lockdown happened and they have been forced to leave food so people don't feed the swans bread.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to AlMorr]

Bread is not recommended for ducks either, although it is not harmful in small amounts.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

I did not see anyone feeding the swans or ducks with bread.

[Birdlady64 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Copy that about bread. I believe the real problem is not that they cannot digest it, but rather it fills their stomachs without them having gained any of the nutrients minerals and vitamins they need to be healthy.

Plus overfeeding creates waste bread which decays and can pollute the water

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Birdlady64]

In that case it's better not to feed them at all unless it's a special food for water birds.

[dijep Graduate]

What a beautiful photo and a lovely place to run in more suitable weather. It certainly looks really cold, just very frosty in Yorkshire this morning

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

I am glad that you like that wintry photo, there were no people walking on the ice although it's probably thick enough to support them, no one wants to risk their life by falling through the ice.

[Hidden]

We have a chalet at the coast (Belgium here) where a small brook is behind us and ducks visit. I always buy special food that floats on the water and is made especially for water birds that they sell at the large garden / animal store. It's a bag of 15 kilo's, but we do have a LOT of ducks, haha. And the fish (carps?) eat from the food too. Bread is indeed not recommended.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Hidden]

A swan cannot digest bread, that is very good that you can buy special foods for feeding water birds.

[HeavyFoot Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

Apparently, bread isn’t good for garden birds either as they can’t metabolise salt. Someone should tell them

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to HeavyFoot]

I think starlings can eat anything, unlike blackbirds and other birds, starlings are scavengers, they can be found in many city centres after dark.

[Birdlady64 Graduate]

Lovely photo there AlMostly mute swans, mallard, coots, tufted duck. That bird with the grey body, and dark red head centre front looks like a female goosander. They are lovely birds the males in particular are very striking

Is it a fresh water loch?

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Birdlady64]

Thank you Birdlady64 (I now know why you use that username) for the details of all those waterbirds in that photograph, thanks for telling us all the names of the individual swans and ducks 🦆.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

PS, It is a fresh water loch, dangerous undercurrents, so no swimming or ice skating, very sadly in 1995 after the local council put a dam at the east side of what used to be boggy ground with a stream going into it at the west side a swimmer drowned, since then no one has swam or ice skated on the water.

[Oldgirlruns Graduate]

What a beautiful picture Alan! As I ran round our local boating lake this morning, a whole load of the swans decided to take off and fly down to the other end - it’s an amazing sight and also quite a noisy experience!

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Oldgirlruns]

I am glad that you like my photograph, such a lovely site to see the swans flying while you were running.

The weather where I am has been very cold since just after Christmas, that is why that loch is frozen, the ground temperature has not gone above 0C for a while, then last night there was another snowfall.

The weather is to get milder next week, that will enable me to get back running around that loch which is not possible just now, over recent weeks I have been doing my runs around a disused school football pitch very near to where I live.

[SueAppleRun Graduate]

Beautiful photo

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to SueAppleRun]

I am glad that you like that wintry photo of the swans and ducks, it snowed again last night, hence the snow on the frozen water.The weather forecast for next week is for the temperature to rise to 7C/45F, if that happens the ice and snow will melt, enabling me to run where I normally run, not around a disused school football pitch as I have been doing recently, however, for my 30th (not) parkrun this Saturday I will be running at least one more time around that football pitch.

[SueAppleRun Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

I love snowy photos, my sister used to send me photos from isle of Lewis every year, we don’t often see a covering of snow here

[Frenc Graduate]

How lucky you are having this on your doorstep!

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Frenc]

I do consider myself to be lucky to live within walking distance from that loch, when I took a photo of the same place last summer for TT60 I got the same replies saying I was lucky to live near to it.

[9weeks2Run Graduate]

Oh what a beautiful photograph, thank you for sharing with us AlMorr

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to 9weeks2Run]

Thank you, I like to share lovely photos here on C25K.

[9weeks2Run Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

It is beautiful

[59er Graduate]

If you had had any food AlMorr you would've been mobbed!!

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to 59er]

The swans and ducks all came very close to me expecting to get food, I told them "sorry, I have nothing for you" I then took the photo and continued my walk feeling a little guilty.

[Instructor57 Graduate]

What a great picture Al 👍Hope you enjoyed your walk !

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

I enjoyed my walk but hoped it wouldn't be too long before I can run it again, at the moment my runs are around a disused school football pitch very near to where I live.

[Hidden]

What a beautiful scene. It looks so cold. It’s finally been so cold where I am that the pond has frozen and the seagulls have been ice-skating. 🥶

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Not too cold when I took the photo, - 2C/28F, I have just heard the very latest weather forecast, they say there is going to be more snow tonight.

[Hidden in reply to AlMorr]

Yes, I’ve seen it. We may even get a flurry in the South Downs tomorrow. A little would be nice ❄️ Keep warm and safe Al 😊❄️

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Delly dot, I have just looked out the window on my way to bed at 10.35pm, it's starting to snow again.

[NusiaFab Graduate]

Gorgeous!😍

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to NusiaFab]

👍