Debbie Jarve brings us another update on the Swedetown Swans. She said the Cygnets are growing fast now and she really hasn’t seen them much this year, so the parents must be keeping them away so nothing can hurt them. They still look a bit fuzzy, rather than completely feathered out and I noticed their beaks are a light color, almost pink, so they haven’t turned dark yet. In Debbie’s first shot, she had her granddaughter stand nearby, so you can see how big the Swans are. I wonder how much longer they’ll be with the parents and at the Swedetown ponds, before they take off for somewhere else. I don’t recall if they’ve stuck around until fall other years, but it sure is fun to see how quickly they grow.

Get To Know Nature has a neat video about a fox family they encountered and recorded. I’m glad this little family isn’t near the swan family, though, as I don’t think they would get along and I’m betting the adult swans would win in a battle to protect their cygnets.

Those swans are so beautiful. I
love seeing them.

Speaking of foxes, there was one
across the street on Wed night.
Omgosh, the horrible shreaks that
come out of them. I thought
something was getting killed.
Right before that, a bear crossed
our street right in front of my
son. He was so shocked even though
I told him to watch when he's
outside. That's why we thought the
fox was getting eaten or
something. But then a little later
we saw it cross the street
unharmed.

Hi
It's a good thing the granddaughter didn't get too
close, as I think the adult swans would act to
defend the cygnets.

Speaking of which, Mary is right that the adult
swans would protect against the fox...which would
know better than to try. Protecting its OWN young
against a big scary human was worth it, though.

DebS, with regard to the fox and the bear,
possibly the bear wasn't that serious about the
fox, which based on its shrieks was probably
warning the bear that it would fight. Animals
can't go to the ER so they would consider before
coming to blows.

How beautiful!

Love the lil foxes. And there are a whole bunch of
different kinds..these are gorgeous too!!

Swans are beautiful indeed, but I've always wondered why they don't get along with geese.

Speaking of bears, I recently watched a Grizzly get vigorously chased by a Moose.

Moose chasing Grizzly

Oh, they grow up so fast! Won't be long until they are as big as the adults. Fox are so appealing - unless you keep chickens!

The neighbors at the top of our
hill have chickens. Pretty sure
that's why we all of a sudden have
foxes. They're so darn cute,
though.