Black Swan Walk

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Black Swan walking, along the river...

When I injured my ankle
before I knew it was fractured
I was driving home
and noticed
something very unusual

There in the swampy
Mangrove curves
of my river
was a pair of Black Swans
and two cygnets


It was drizzling
and I could only hop
but I stopped the car
clambered down the river bank
and made my way through the muddy
tidal sludge and mangrove roots
and jellyfish
to have a closer look...

but they were so far away
and armed with only my happy snapper
I could not get the shot I wanted
to do justice to the swans
and to show you
So I decided to wait...

and I have not seen
the swans since,
until today
when walking along
the same stretch of river
I spied one black swan
dredging the murky
mangrove flats



Oh Happy Days...

and of course
I now have
my new camera

and then I saw the mate
Cygnus atratus,

the tide was extremely low
so I edged out on the sandy mud
amongst the mangrove roots

and watched the pair
dredge - for zostera weed
in the salty brackish water

a synchronised
performance

of grace

and charm

way across the tidal stretch
a colony of ibis feed
and in the centre
a lone heron stands

a double headed
Loch Ness like monster

has taken up residence
in my river





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