Swans appeal to the imagination

Sun, Jul 10, 4:00 PM
General

The swan is a large, graceful bird that appeals to everyone’s imagination. This beautiful swimming bird is a pleasure to observe. Whether she is hopping on the water or flying as a duo. Because they are almost always considered a pair. This fact has contributed to the attribution of all kinds of properties to these birds.

VELDHOVEN – In Celtic mythology, the swan is the solar animal that announces the new day. At night, it flies in front of the setting sun to ring the day. In the flight pattern of birds, the Celts see signs of changes to come.
In Greek mythology, the supreme god Zeus turns into a swan and gives birth to Helena, the most beautiful woman in the world. The swan also appears in Hinduism, especially as the vehicle of the god Brahma.

Hypocritical

The swan is often a symbol of purity. Often also for feminine grace because of the graceful movements that the swan makes. Sometimes the swan also has a negative meaning (hypocrisy) because of the black flesh under the white feathers.
But above all, the animal likes to be associated with the concept of eternal fidelity. After all, a couple of swans remain faithful to each other for life. But… Let it be just a myth!
Recent research has shown that approximately 1-2 out of 10 pairs of swans divorce each year. Sticking together seems to have something to do with territory. So if one of the two wants to “move out”, the relationship is over.

mute swan

There are 4 different types of swans in the Netherlands. First, the common mute swan. This is common where fresh water can be found. It likes to breed in open grasslands with ditches in the peat grassland areas of the Netherlands. About 7-9,000 pairs breed in the Netherlands. The number of mute swans wintering here is 2-3 times greater.
The second species is the whooper swan, a loyal winter guest in the Netherlands. It breeds in northern Europe and winters only in the Netherlands. The whooper swan has a large triangular yellow patch on the beak.

little swan

Like the whooper swan, the swan is a hibernator. The breeding area of ​​this swan is very far north: along the Barents Sea. When the weather turns cold quickly in September, she leaves for the Netherlands, where she usually arrives the same month. She will leave in March. As a wintering area, the Netherlands is very important for around 10,000 animals, which is around three quarters of all beech swans in the world.
In addition to the 3 native species, there is also an exotic swan in the Netherlands. The black swan, native to Australia and New Zealand, is part of the collections of enthusiasts. Escaped specimens and their descendants have also been breeding in the wild since the 1970s. What is special is that they have very clearly adapted their mode of reproduction to the southern hemisphere. So they breed here during the winter.

The working area of ​​IVN Veldhoven Eindhoven Vessem is Veldhoven, Eindhoven and part of the municipality of Eersel (the nuclei of Vessem, Knegsel and Wintelre).

The swan is also the symbol of the Lutheran church. This is due to a prediction by Johannes Hus (whose surname means goose by the way). He predicts that when he is burned at the stake, they will now roast a goose, but in 100 years they will hear a swan sing.

IVN VEV

main province

Noord-Brabant is one of the most important provinces in the country for the Bewick’s swan. More than 100 birds in a counting area were found in the polders near ‘s Gravenmoer, in the polders near Empel and in the Markiezaat. See also https://www.sovon.nl.

the swan is
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