Nic on Silhouette has posted a fascinating time lapse video. Headed downhill on the Grand Union Marsworth lock flight, they found themselves sharing Lock 41 with a swan. Sensing an easy passage, the swan then joined them at the next lock, 42.
At Lock 43, Silhouette was joined by the swan's whole family - cob, pen and cygnets all together. This is the sort of story I would have 'yeah-righted'. Except it's here on the timelapse video. Swan swims in about 1 minute in. Well caught, Nic!
I've shared a lock with fighting swans, and compared it to a cockfight.
It's dramatic and entertaining, and if you were an impresario you could probably attract quite an audience to a swanfight in a lock. Not to mention a few bookmakers.
But BW are wise to this. A couple of years ago I came upon this warning on the Caen Hill locks at Devizes.
Swans quietly hitching a ride - especially en famille - must be rarer. And families rare resort to fighting on journeys. Unless you know better?
Not seen any swans fighting, save the flapping of wings at a passing dog who wants to find out what a swan's backside it like!
I guess the Youtube version is blurry if you can't make out the lock numbers. It is also on stage6 in a higher quality version, just select one entitled
"Grand Union D8 (time-lapse)"
in http://stage6.divx.com/user/Time_Lapse/videos/
(comments here don't like the long URL's!!)
Posted by: Nic Chilton | Wednesday, 21 November 2007 at 04:40 PM