Swans

Greensward 

Mistley Parish Council values the swans highly and does not wish to lose them or prevent members of the public feeding them. However, feeding on the pavement and the greensward can have serious consequences.

Over the past year the Parish Council through setting up a working party, has attempted to find sustainable means to keep the swan herd on the foreshore and most importantly off the public road. To this end the Parish Council sought the advice of Trazar Astley-Reid from Suffolk Coast and Heaths. Through whose expertise in estuarine management brought The Swan Working Party together with the Swan Watch Charity to work towards a common goal. That goal being to safeguard the welfare of the swans from becoming road kill, allow the grass to regenerate on the greensward and to stop erosion of the riverbank.

Barrier of Hedging

It was resolved that a hedge of Buckthorn, Blackthorn and Hawthorn (all common to this area) would answer well to keep the Swans on the foreshore, with a temporary provision of a fence in front of it to protect both the birds and the newly planted hedge.

A grant was given by Tendring District Council to purchase the root stock and the resulting planting appears to have taken well. The swans appear to have accepted it as very few now come onto the greensward.

Slipway

By way of tradition and use, a gate has been provided to retain the benefit of the slipway adjacent to Portishead House for those wishing to use it to access the river. The was provided and erected by members of the Stour Sailing club. If used, please make sure the gate is closed after use.

Swan Watch

Elm roots along The Walls were removed many years ago, but this had caused the greensward to naturally erode, helped to a degree by the Swans who had established slipways of their own in two or three places over a period of time. Swan Watch has through the unstinting generosity of one of is supporters Tom Newman, Landlord of the Anchor Pub, funded and constructed two sections of walling to consolidate the river bank.

Feeding

A charity set up and run by Alex Smith is dedicated to giving a modicum of sustenance to around 300 members of the Swan herd once a day, to help them survive the ravages of the winter months. In order to do so, it is imperative that the birds have a good level of body fat to start with. This is provided by ensuring feeding begins early enough to achieve this aim, by late autumn with the result that the Swan herd is indeed currently in good heart.

Geese

Much has been made of the Canadian and Brent Geese being sustained by the same feeding regime. This most emphatically is not so. What geese are there now are, remain on the periphery while the Swans are fed and make no attempt to avail themselves of the fodder provided. Gulls are more likely to gatecrash proceedings, but then again only after dawn has broken and will happily take grain that has inadvertently landed on a Swans back. 

Grain Wastage minimal

Most if not all feed is taken up by the Swans and great care is taken to ensure it floats sufficiently long enough that there is no wastage. At times a modicum remains to be scavenged by the lame geese who are unable to fly or swim but remarkably seem to survive year on year.

Feeding at the Quay

The majority of Swans are fed at Mistley Quay over the fence and it is done at very specific times, commonly resulting in 100 to 200 plus swans congregating to be fed in the water every day. 

Swans have been feeding at the quay since the port was established in the 18^th century with grain spilling from ships, latterly with washings from Edme and sweepings from Brooks and other companies along the quay to sustain what has become a domestic Swan herd. 

The discharge of grain products into the river Stour was banned in 1996. This resulted in some eighty Swans starving to death that winter. The bodies were disposed of by Mistley Environmental Park who kindly took and cremated them. Other survivors wandered around the village in desperate search for food. So it is important that a level of husbandry is maintained to ensure the Swan Herd survives into the future. 

WANT TO COMMENT?

Email: mistleypc@stjames-consulting.com

Swan Watch can be contacted on 01206 397251