Swan Numbers Down At Lake Ellesmere

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31728, 11 July 1968, Page 18

Swan Numbers Down At Lake Ellesmere

Lake Ellesmere swan problems were discussed by the council of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society last evening.

The chairman of the council’s game committee (Mr G. Mugford) said there had been a great deal of weed in the lake which it was hoped not to waste so that it had been decided to leave an additional 5000 eggs. The figure had usually been about 25,000 eggs but in the few years previously there had been only about 20,000. But there were only 15,000 eggs, a drop of 5000 on the previous year and 10,000 fewer than wanted.

Mr Mugford said his opinion was that the farmers complained when they knew about the extra 5000 eggs and the complaints were made till the Easter storm. In the four days of the storm the weed beds were swept clean and 5000 swans were lost that week-end. They were burned or buried and that meant fewer than 8000 new birds, the lowest ever. Trouble with power failures from swans flying into power lines had grown as power was taken down to the" lake edge.

Where farmers were involved if shooters could not give the coverage of an area the society had to do sb, he said. “But if shooters are refused access then we take it the chap does not mind feeding them,” he said. Mr C. Kilday said the problem of swans in paddocks was not confined to the lake area. They had been seen 11 miles from the lake. In one paddock swans in four days mowed 18in grass down to 4in. Mr G. W. Thompson said he thought that the lake | should be lowered as there I were many areas the swans i could not get at to feed. * The society decided to issue a statement to the news- ; papers on the problem.