Sophie and I were making the best of Autumn and so the weekend after visiting Belsay, we went off to look for more Autumnal colour and to see the swans et al at Bolam Lake. We last visited 4 years ago in September 2017 – ah, the good old pre-plague days! Looking back at those photo’s there was more autumn colours in September 17 than there was in Oct 21 🤷♀️.
Bolam lake was constructed c.1817 for Lord Decies of Bolam. John Dobson was commissioned to lay out the grounds in 1816, including the 25-acre artificial lake and woodland. Northumberland County Council purchased the lake and some of the surrounding woodland in 1972 for use as a Country Park.
The weather was a bit pants, but the swans didn’t seem to care. Bolam has a herd of Mute Swans, though they are not entirely mute, as they’ll hiss or snort if feeling threatened. But they are quiet in comparison with other types of swans, and in spite of that are quite beligerent with the male swans highly territorial. They will threaten intruders, striking an aggressive pose with wings arched over their back, before charging at them to chase them off.
There are many collective nouns for a group of swans, they can be a bevy, a gaggle, a whiteness, or a wedge, but only when in flight. Herd is OK too which suits me fine.
Since the 12th century, the Queen has had the right to claim ownership to all unmarked mute swans in the country swimming in open waters, and there is a traditional swan upping ceremony, an annual ceremony that has taken place for hundreds of years and takes five days. It’s held every July on the river Thames at Caversham. In the ceremony, a flotilla of Thames rowing skiffs, manned by “Swan Uppers” make their way along the river led by The Queen’s Swan Marker, David Barber. The cygnets are marked as being either part of the Vintners or the Dyers livery companies. This is determined by their parentage. All Crown birds are left unmarked. Although it’s a tradition it also helps with conservation. Anyway, it only happens on the Thames and the rest of the country’s Mute swans can go about their business unaware that they are Royal swans, although they always look regal, so maybe they are.
There is more to see than swans though, so let’s move on. The ground was damp, and shady so we came across a few mushrooms and fungi, I love finding ones I haven’t seen before.
my last photo today is of a dear little dog, a collie I think, who was undergoing some training with her owner. I hope it’s a girl dog!
That’s it for this week. As you read this I’ll be driving 250 miles down south, takes about 5 hours, to visit with my son and grandson, so will be late answering comments today.
Stay tooned for next time, there’s more to see at the lake 🙂 .
all photos are embiggenable by clickeration.
Love the fungus and lichen and I am impressed by your knowledge of Latin names! We live very near Caversham – swan upping is also done at other points along the Thames too.Enjoy your time with the family.
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Thanks guys!
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….herd of swans?….of course I have!….(falls down clutching sides and laughing maniacally at own crap joke)….
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Argh!!! 🤣🤣
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We’re on the same wavelength. You were taking pictures of fungi, I was watching Attack of the Mushroom People.
Sort of the same thing.
Swans always amaze me when I see them because they’re so big. I think I have a mental image of them as the same size as geese, but they’re so much bigger.
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Especially when they start chasing you!
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So much here…I really like the idea of revisiting places and comparing the way they look at the same time of year…I was just thinking a group of swans should be called a flotilla when the word appeared!magic…. Its hard to take a good photo of a swan it has been done so much but yours is class!!the gull makes it special. I like twists like that …as you know. And I love fungus too…safe travels x
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…also all that about swan marking I never knew…
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Me neither until I wrote this!
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Thanks Missis, arrived safe and sound, yes I like going back at different times of year so you’ll probably see it all again!
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Great pics. I didn’t know about Swan upping……!
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It was new to me too! Cheers Rich.
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Ahh yes, the noble Embiggenable Process. Makes me thankful for technology 😀
Best of luck with all that driving!
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I made it Booky 🙂
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But the question, are you really you? Or just some sort of weird plant clone killer robot thing?
See, I’ve learned a lot from Dix’s blog!
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Do what??? Why would I be a weird plant clone killer all of a sudden???? And is it me that’s weird or the plant? Or the robot????? I am befuddled.
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Well, you went away. And now you’re claiming to be back. But I’m sceptical that it is actually you. I think you’ve been replaced.
Happens all the time in the movies 😉
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But I’m not back! I’m away! I’ll be travelling home on Thursday, still me, in my little `Minty fiat 500, battling the elements and knobheads on the road. But not killing robots with weird cloned plants. I wish I knew where that came from!
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I’m in one of my “silly” moods, so I’m pretty much typing out whatever I feel like, even if it makes zero sense to anyone but myself 😀
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totally fine, one’s brain needs a blow out once in a while!
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It would be OK if it was a male dog who happened to like pink.
Does the Queen often claim unmuted swans in this area?
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I tend to think chaps who like pink go for a less in -yer- face shade, that doggy coat looked like something our Liddy would wear!
The Queen doesn’t even know we exist up here, our swans are safe muted or not!
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hahahha. Did you come up with the title for this?
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Hah I wish, it looks right up my street too.
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A delightful walk for my Sunday morning. I chuckle at the thought of how food has a way of taming aspects of nature. They have trained us well.
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Yes, they’ve got us sussed. Thanks Frank.
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Beautiful!
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Thanks Jennie 🙂
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Wonderful pictures! And a fun read as well. And I did learn a lot! Muted swans who are regal and anually upped. Good Lord. Things are always more interesting then you would have been imagening. I hope you had a good visit and trip and that you are safely back home.
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I’m down here for a few days, home on Thursday. Thanks Peter.
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A lovely swan fest, and the mushrooms are great too.
I hope you had a good trip ‘dahn sarf’. Must have been nice to get back to civilisation and away from the Pictish hordes. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Hah! I have arrived safe and sound, just. Down here until Thursday, and TBH I love seeing my family, but I’m happier living with the hordes! Civilisation sucks.
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Gorgeous photos. I don’t know why, but I am always smitten with photos toadstools and mushrooms in the wild. The just look so…woody, for lack of a better word.
The swans are majestic and regal looking. I liked learning about the Swan Upping Ceremony too. So intriguing!
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Thanks Mae, every Sunday is a school day here! 😀
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Fraggle, I’m beside myself. This might be your most beautiful posts ever. It’s altogether fascinating too. The elegant serenity of swans and then the whimsy of mushrooms. Hugs on the wing!
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Thanks Teagan!
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Why is it that a lake anywhere else is just a lake. But a lake in the UK is straight from a fairytale. Or at least it seems so as your capture it, Fraggle🙂👏🦢
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Aw thanks so much! 🙂
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Royal swans spotted by the duchess of Tyne & Wear : )
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Haha not me Francis, I wouldn’t want that title! 🙂 Godess maybe.:D
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Ah, swans. Never been overly impressed with them if I’m being honest. Regal? Pfft. Sloths are more regal. I wonder: if there was a revolution, and the whole Royal Family was disembowelled, would the swans have to be killed off too? Y’know, for the imagery? Can’t have a weak revolution…
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Let me know when it happens.
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I was also travelling south today, but I live here. On Saturday I was doing Parkrun around a lake that had swans, some of them black. How does the Queen’s Swan Marker know which swans to mark with which livery and what does owning a swan mean? Do they eat them? It’s probably best if I don’t pursue that thought.
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I am not sure how they know which swan to mark with what, but I do know they definitely don’t eat them. They used to back in Henry 8 days though.
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I know that swans used to grace the table, but I’m just not sure what the point of swan upping is if the swans aren’t eaten or culled in some way.
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Me neither, it could do with more research really.
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“The weather was a bit pants!” Since I am not British I can only guess what this idiom means! Regal describes the swans well.
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You probably guessed right if you imagined rain and greyness. 🙂
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Yep!
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Beautiful photos! I love swans, but am wary of them and keep them at a respectable distance. My favourite shot is of the swan & gull. It is oustanding. The fungi are lovely – I am love all the information you include!
Safe travels! 🤗
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Thanks Connie!
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Lovely images, especially the swans! I did not know about the royal connection!!!
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I love all the background information Fraggle. I had no idea the Queen has had the right to claim ownership to all unmarked mute swans in the country swimming in open waters! Your photos are stunning a usual! Love all the hoof fungus! xxoo, C
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Thanks! 😘
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Cool shots, love the fungus. I wonder what the Queen does with all her swans?
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Ignores them mosty I think and leaves it to her Upping man to sort them out 🙂
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