• We apologize for the somewhat convoluted sign-up process. Due to ever-more sophisticated attacks by chatbots, we had to increase our filtering in order to weed out AI while letting humans through. It's a nuisance, but a necessary one in order to keep the level of discourse on the forums authentic and useful. From the actual humans using WCP, thanks for your understanding!

Kayaker attacked by a Swan !!

waverider

Paddler
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Messages
671
Location
langley
Believe it or not but as I paddled along the waterfront of Steveston yesterday I was approached and cut off by a swan so I tried to re-route but was once again was cut off so after a couple more attempts to get by him with no success I backed paddled and this swan kept pace with me! So with a good size swan getting closer and closer to me ( and truly not knowing his intentions) I started to splash and yell at him but to no avail, so now I was running out of options ( while this is all happening I could just imagine the people on the shore having a great laugh) I decided I would have to use my air horn to get out of this. As I reached for my horn the swan caught up to my front of the kayak and all of a sudden took flight! WELL I have never thought I could lean back as far as I did!! This bloody thing would have taking my head right off my shoulders! The swan then landed about 20 feet behind and started circling towards me :roll: But by that time I was paddling with all my might :lol: as I was not going to stick around for round 2

238_IMG_3266_1.jpg
 
Dvfrggr wrote: Mating Season? :lol:

Laughing aside I think that was what it was all about, maybe he thought I was a threat to him "getting close" with another swan that was close by ?
 
I am not sure if it is the season already for swan, but could be guarding their nest.
I was attacked by a goose and he was guarding his nest and kids. It was in May.
You could have rolled, Mark :wink:.
 
waverider said:
...maybe he thought I was a threat to him "getting close" with another swan that was close by?
You should have explained to the big winged bad boy that you had no interest in the other swan. :lol:

Sounds like something was in the air...

DArcy-042a-r.jpg


Swans are so cute.

*****
 
:lol: Glad I was able to give you all a laugh.

Sushiy , it would be a tough call on the roll, hmmm, having a 50lb swan mess me up vs rolling into the Fraser that is polluted from every town along its 1400 km shoreline! Thanks but I will take my chances with the swan any day :D

Darren that is one cool pic!
 
I paddle the marshes between Ladner and Westham Island often and it's no surprise, every spring the mute swans grow attitude and become very territorial. Often I'm out there in the middle of the night and when one of these birds comes at you, it sounds like a helicopter is landing on your canoe!
 
Astoriadave said:
B1200 said:
wait...do swans taste good?
sorry. Protected bird in North America. Bet they taste like mud, anyway ... that's where they forage, swanbutt in the air.

I heard a comedian speak about what we eat, basically it was ugly and slow animals. Chickens can't fly, cows are not terribly smart. He then went on to accuse Vegans of doing more damage than good. His thinking was that he ate cows which reduced methane gas output, and Vegans were eating up all the good plants that produce oxegen. Not scientific but amusing.
 
Ugggh, Swans, Mute swans are especially territorial and extremely violent.

We have something of a swan problem in the Toronto Islands at the moment. Some idiot high up in the parks and recs depot thought it would be an excellent idea to release 2 mating couples into the islands here.

Several years later and they number apparently 100 or so.

I have been paddling down here with the local canoe school for about 10 years now, and I can tell you some crazy stories about the visciousness of swans.

I have seen swans charge 30 foot north canoes, I have seen them drown mallard ducks, I have seen them be agressive to groups of 10 or more kayakers. Crazy birds.

I have also heard (anecdotally) that due to their large size, for them to achieve flight their wings are so strong, that apparently they can break your humerus if they run into you.

The thing that seems to work the best in terms of getting them to leave you alone is to show them broadsides of your boat, rather than going nose first into them. Apparently it makes you seem like a bigger animal and therefore less of a good idea to be aggressive to you.
 
Back
Top