Lake Wendouree's famous swans are out and about with cygnets in tow, and as well as reminding people to be safe around wildlife, volunteers who keep an eye on them hope to line up their own numbers of injuries and deaths with the City of Ballarat's official count.
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So far, in the past 12 months, council has recorded three swan deaths at the lake, though some volunteers say the number could be higher as more people phone other agencies without contacting council.
Heather Lewis has been enamoured with the herds of swans near her home for years.
She said the council is doing a great job at helping the populations thrive, but there were challenges each year, and more accurate counts could help with long term management.
Right now, work restoring the tram tracks on the western side of the lake had interrupted some swan territories, leading to in-fighting between different groups as they moved around the lake.
More swans are now feeding around the Olympic Rings area, to the south-west, which is a hazard because of the busy traffic going around the roundabout.
"A lot of bird life is crossing the road because of the tram line works," Ms Lewis said.
"One group has had a dramatic effect, it may end up the three cygnets don't survive - it's nothing to do with the human activity, it's the swans themselves actually causing the deaths.
"It's changed their behaviour, the circumstances they find themselves in."
She was in two minds about the families around the lake which love feeding the swans - while it's bad for the swans, it does create a "sense of connection" with the wildlife, and means more people are watching for any injured swans.
The Courier's nature writer, Roger Thomas, said he did not recommend people feed the swans.
He said it can cause all sorts of problems.
"They come up to people expectantly, and kids get scared, also they begin to cluster in spots where there's other swans, which causes territorial problems," he said.
Ms Lewis said there about nine distinct groups of swans around the lake at the moment, and the last count of cygnets came to 41.
Mr Thomas said so far it looked like a normal season for swans in Ballarat.
More signs could be useful around the lake reminding people about numbers to phone for wildlife rescuers if injured swans are seen, Ms Lewis said, however a City of Ballarat spokesperson said there are no plans for additional signs.
Anyone who sees an injured animal should phone 0417 380 687, however if dead wildlife are spotted, phone 5320 5500.
A City of Ballarat spokesperson said council officers attend if the council is informed, as well as wildlife rescuers.
Native wildlife are the responsibility of the Department of Environment, Land, Water, and Planning.
How to look after our swans
- Don't feed the swans. This encourages swans to get closer to humans, which can cause issues.
- White bread is particularly bad for swans, as it doesn't give them any nutrition.
- Swans and other wildlife will pick through rubbish thrown from cars, which can encourage them to stay close to cars.
- Drive slowly in areas where swans are common, and take particular care at roundabouts.
- If you do see an injured swan, immediately phone a wildlife rescuer on 0417 380 687. Swans can be unpredictable when injured.
- Keep an old towel or blanket in the car to throw across an injured swan and stop them flapping and causing further injury.
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