Are Swans being unreasonable?

[Glittercloud17]

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?

🦢

Is it just me or are all birds more violent and unreasonable these days?🤔🦅🦅🦩

Cost of living crisis, innit 😂

This thread made me think of Grumio. First minute of clip:

I once saw a swan hold up a road because he decided to walk along it. Not across, but along. He had much longer legs than you might think and he splayed each one in a wonky sort of way before taking his big flat step, like Charlie Chaplin. A bloke got out of his van and tried to shoo the swan out of the way but he was having none of it - curled his neck like an S, arched his wings and hissed at him, then chased him. So the bloke legged it back to his van and just drove really slowly behind the swan, with a massive line of traffic behind them both. It was like a ceremonial procession.

I don't know what happened next because I had to catch the bus (on a different road). Maybe they're all still proceeding along, somewhere.

That is my swan story.

One of the fuckers stole my sandwich at Stratford-Upon-Avon. I was a poor Aussie student on a cheap-arse bus tour where they didn’t feed us enough and I had spent my day’s budget on this marvellous Enid Blyton-esque sandwich. Fucker.

I have had roast swan.

I got attacked by a gang of ducks once. Swans have always been chill.

Ah swans. For some reason they really hate my sister. If one spots her, it sort of goes rigid and the world stops turning for a few seconds. Then it launches itself and she starts running…

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! 🤣

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!

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.

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 😊😂

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 😂😂😂

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)

I always remember this from Adrian Mole. Anyone else?

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

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

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.

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! 🙅🏻‍♀️🦢

But serious though. Scary 😧

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

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

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.

Snap!