Page 4 | Are Swans being unreasonable?

NameChanges123 · 15/03/2025 08:12

BitOutOfPractice · 14/03/2025 22:35

with swans fast approaching us across the park one day, me and a burly looking random bloke got a bit of a peg on to avoid them. I asked him if he was worried about them breaking his arm. He wasn’t but, he said, “they’ll peck your arse!”

I felt there was bitter bitter experience behind that warning.

😂😂

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 15/03/2025 08:00

A swan ate some bread out of my sister's hands when she was a toddler strapped in to her pushchair and bit her, then knocked the pushchair over with its wings when dm tried to shoo it away. So they are quite strong.

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 15/03/2025 07:56

XenoBitch · 14/03/2025 22:27

Haha, I grew up being told that a swan could break your arm with their wings.
It is in the same category of things that you were told were dangerous, but they have never been a threat in real adult life... like quick sand.

Two children near where I lived in France were killed by quicksand in the riverbank. There are signs on all the paths telling people not to go onto the bank because of quicksand but people ignore them.

And if you can’t tell the difference between a goose and a swan (that’s a proverb) it might be better to give them both a wide berth.

turkeyboots · 15/03/2025 07:54

My mum has stitches after a swan bit my sister, and then Mum when rescuing her!
But geese are worse. They'll push you off a cliff (or so I was told)

BitOutOfPractice · 15/03/2025 07:53

unsync · 14/03/2025 23:39

We're always very wary when we're swimming if there's a swan with cygnets. We give them a wide berth and try to appear non threatening. I've seen them chase kayaks. When you're on their level in the water, they are quite impressive and rather fearsome.

I’d love to see the difference between your threatening and non threatening swimming. And you Say you try to appear non threatening. Does that mean you are threatening? I think the swans are right to be wary of you! 😉

LetMeGoogleThat · 15/03/2025 07:48

Not a broken arm, but I've got a leg scar caused by a Swan. I was forced to interveen when a swan was going for my son, so put my leg between them and he took a bite!!

Apparently they only get aggressive when they have babies, so to be fair we both did the same thing protecting our offspring

Daisymae23 · 15/03/2025 07:42

Surely everyone’s cousins best friends next door neighbour has had their arm broken by a swan?

ScarlettSunset · 15/03/2025 07:41

I did have a confrontation with a swan once on a canal path. I wanted to get past it so I could get home. The swan didn't want me to.
I was scared as I too had heard they could break bones.
It was a tense situation with the swan pulling itself up to full height and me trying to edge calmly around it. In the end, the swan didn't actually DO anything except stand there trying to intimidate me, and I did get around it and went safely on my way.
It happened over 30 years ago though and I still remember it clearly so although in the end nothing at all happened, it clearly had a lasting impact on me!

UnhappyAndYouKnowIt · 15/03/2025 07:36

Dreamskies · 14/03/2025 22:26

I’ve apprehended a swan before now (I was helping it, I promise 🤣) and they’re not particularly strong.

They have a bit of a bite on them though if you hand feed them, they have a tendency to grab your fingers with their serrated beaks 😫

Snap!

UnhappyAndYouKnowIt · 15/03/2025 07:35

I love swans. And geese.

They make a big fuss, but don't really do any harm.

Hand feeding swans is difficult, though. Their close up vision is terrible so they miss the food and bite the hand instead.

TheCountofMountingCrispBags · 15/03/2025 07:35

Glittercloud17 · 14/03/2025 22:23

Genuine question: Are Swans Being Unreasonable?

Has anyone ever actually had their arm broken by a swan? It’s something we have all said at some point, but has it ever actually happened to you or anyone you know?

🦢

You've posted a picture of a goose, so yabvvu!

offmynut · 15/03/2025 07:34

Nothing to add to the thread but i have a 6 foot goose plushy laying on my floor.

Original poster

Glittercloud17 · 15/03/2025 07:31

2chocolateoranges · 15/03/2025 07:24

Im not a fan of swans.

I’m petrified of swans after being accosted by one in my late teens, was out a walk with my mum and young cousin , minding my own business at a pond near where we live and this huge fucker flew right across the pond , landed at my feet, flapping its wings furiously about 1 foot from me squawking loudly and aggressively. I’m not sure who got more of a fright me or the swan when I started screaming! It was so close to me the draught from its wings flapping was bitterly cold.

took me a good few years to walk near a pond again and even now if I see a swan I’m off!

But serious though. Scary 😧

OP posts:

Original poster

Glittercloud17 · 15/03/2025 07:31

2chocolateoranges · 15/03/2025 07:24

Im not a fan of swans.

I’m petrified of swans after being accosted by one in my late teens, was out a walk with my mum and young cousin , minding my own business at a pond near where we live and this huge fucker flew right across the pond , landed at my feet, flapping its wings furiously about 1 foot from me squawking loudly and aggressively. I’m not sure who got more of a fright me or the swan when I started screaming! It was so close to me the draught from its wings flapping was bitterly cold.

took me a good few years to walk near a pond again and even now if I see a swan I’m off!

That does sound pretty terrifying. But you don’t have broken limbs. So, next! 🙅🏻‍♀️🦢

OP posts:

2chocolateoranges · 15/03/2025 07:24

Im not a fan of swans.

I’m petrified of swans after being accosted by one in my late teens, was out a walk with my mum and young cousin , minding my own business at a pond near where we live and this huge fucker flew right across the pond , landed at my feet, flapping its wings furiously about 1 foot from me squawking loudly and aggressively. I’m not sure who got more of a fright me or the swan when I started screaming! It was so close to me the draught from its wings flapping was bitterly cold.

took me a good few years to walk near a pond again and even now if I see a swan I’m off!

WorriedRelative · 15/03/2025 07:21

I saw one take on a full grown golden retriever. I wouldn't mess.

Geese are worse though, real vicious bastards. Better than any guard dog if you want to keep way burglers and trespassers and cold callers, and the postman, and any visitors, and your own kids, and maybe you never wanted to return home anyway.

Original poster

Glittercloud17 · 15/03/2025 07:19

Haveanaiceday · 14/03/2025 23:56

Another well known fact about swans is they all belong to Her late Majesty The Queen.

But she’s not going to do anything about them now, is she

OP posts:

AgnesX · 15/03/2025 07:19

The kind of bird that takes no crap from humans (swans that is). Probably anyway. Go swans!

Somethingthecatdraggedin7 · 15/03/2025 07:15

I always remember this from Adrian Mole. Anyone else?

Fuuuuuckit · 15/03/2025 05:50

Our local parkrun is often re-routed due to swans and geese by the top lake/pond.

Rule #4 don't fall over (in the goose poo)

ThisHappenedToMeAsWell · 15/03/2025 03:34

I have to say though, they can look a bit intimidating when they’re bearing down on you if you haven’t gotten close to one before 😂😂😂

ThisHappenedToMeAsWell · 15/03/2025 03:33

Aah, we hand-feed our local swans 😂🤷‍♀️

They can be a bit clumsy when trying to get at the food so you have to watch your fingers. But nothing more than an accidental peck.

They’re lovely birds.

Obviously, like any wild creature, swans will be protective of their young.

It’s a bit of a shit photo but you can just about make out me feeding the swans here 😊😂

Monty27 · 15/03/2025 02:52

I have good news for some of you. According to the TV news this evening, we won't see so many due to global warming and they won't bother migrating.
Saying that I'd approach them with caution no matter how many, always.

JandamiHash · 15/03/2025 02:36

I got chased round a tarn when DD was 3 by a swan. It started following us, I ignored it and all of a sudden it was legging it and thinking with its wings splayed out. I picked DD up and ran like the wind, we actually ran past whole families as did the swan, we just have looked a right sight 😂 but all I could think of was the broken arm thing!

Shitmonger · 15/03/2025 02:27

My mum got bitten by a swan when we were on holiday in Hawaii. To be fair to the swan, she was trying to pet its baby. One of the highlights of the trip was overhearing a very concerned American exclaim “Oh dear, that British woman isn’t trying to pet the swans, is she? Does she know they’re not tame??” No, but she learned! 🤣