Disgraceful - What sort of person

Nowhere  near  massive  enough,  Fozzie,  as  a  farmer  he  should  know  how  much  we  depend  on  a  healthy  environment,  and  that  means  swans  as  well  as  any  thing  else !

In certain communities, swan is consider a delicacy. Probably only had an air rifle to try and kill one, hence the number of shots. Christmas is coming. It is disgraceful, and barbarous, but by no means an isolated incident.

I saw that, and the article about the Farmer with a club, These are exactly the type of actions that the RSPCA was formed to prevent and prosecute,  mindless cruelty for the sake of it. And Farmers are supposed to be Guardians of our Countryside, if their press is to be believed ?  well that one shouldnt have been in charge of a garden, let alone a farm. He clubbed a swan to death an injured another so badly that it had to be put down, simply because ithey landed in his oilseed rape field !  nasty man .  

Swans are protected by law, as are Badgers by the way, although that doesnt seem to be obeyed by some Farmers.  Wish I needed to only obey the laws i agreed with !!

And I am not a Townie !  i live in rural Pembrokeshire.

3 Buzzards have been shot in Somerset in the first 4 days of this year, fortunately only one of them has died so far.  This is an area of the country that Hen Harriers were going to be reintroduced as it was thought there was less Raptor persecution than other parts!

Yes Oneputt this is true and thankfully the RSPCA have helped save the remaining two. I expect they have been taken to the RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre.

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Not good is it 😥, and talking hen harriers, they were frequently seen on our local moors until just a few years ago. Not now though......

On the subject of dead swans, I have just found the third dead swan within a 50 yard stretch of river.  The first one was lying spreadeagled in the reeds, the second one was floating with its head laying back along its body, looking quite serene.  Yesterday there was another looking as though it was trying to get away from the water through the reeds and just expired.  As I was leaving a saw another youngish swan drifting around the area looking as though it was on its way out.  There is nothing to suggest anything other that nature taking its own course, just slightly upsetting to see.  They do provide food for the scavengers during the night.

The pictured swan stayed there for some days until a high tide swept it away....looks as though it was a peaceful end.

Could be Avian flu outbreak. Have you reported the sightings?

I never gave that a thought...I have now got the number and will give them a ring tomorrow......that might explain their listless drifting around and sitting amongst the reeds looking as though they couldn't be bothered to swim away.