69-544: Abbotsbury Swannery is a colony of nesting mute swans near the village of Abbotsbury in Dorset , England. Located on a 1-hectare (2-acre) site around the Fleet Lagoon protected from the weather of Lyme Bay by Chesil Beach , it is the only managed swannery in the world, and can number over 600 swans with around 150 pairs. Written records of the swannery's existence go back to 1393, though it probably existed well before that and
138-655: A paleosub species that differed only in size from the living bird, is known from fossils found in Azerbaijan . A related paleospecies recorded from fossils and subfossils is the Giant swan, Cygnus falconeri , a flightless species that lived on the islands of Malta and Sicily during the Middle Pleistocene . Fossils of swan ancestors more distantly allied to the mute swan have been found in four U.S. states: California , Arizona , Idaho , and Oregon . The timeline runs from
207-410: A 200 to 240 cm (79 to 94 in) wingspan. Males are larger than females and have a larger knob on their bill. On average, this is the second largest waterfowl species after the trumpeter swan , although male mute swans can easily match or even exceed a male trumpeter in mass. Among standard measurements of the mute swan, the wing chord measures 53–62.3 cm (20.9–24.5 in), the tarsus
276-622: A complaint from the National Playbus Association. In 2002, reruns were moved to the new CBeebies channel until August 2004. The show begins with an animated title sequence of the Playbus driving along until it reached the bus stop. The bus stopped at a different place each day. Why Bird lived at the Lost Property Office , where things that were left on the Playbus were filed until someone claimed them. She interacted with
345-402: A contact sound between birds in flight. Cygnets are especially vocal and communicate through a variety of whistling and chirping sounds when content, as well as a harsher chirping noise when distressed or lost. Mute swans can be very aggressive in defence of their nests and are highly protective of their mate and offspring. Most defensive acts from a mute swan begin with a loud hiss and, if this
414-451: A copy of a gene responsible for leucism . Mute swans nest on large mounds that they build with waterside vegetation in shallow water on islands in the middle or at the very edge of a lake. They are monogamous and often reuse the same nest each year, restoring or rebuilding it as needed. Male and female swans share the care of the nest, and once the cygnets are fledged it is not uncommon to see whole families looking for food. They feed on
483-513: A cottage for the weekend. Poppy was now played Colleen Daley and Peggy was played by Paula Everett. Darvill continued her role as Why Bird. Featuring Sam Patch, a small scarecrow doll and later replaced by Peggy Patch, a small rag doll who were both very kind natured. Sam and later Peggy would often travel places. From 1994 onwards Peggy would leave clues for children to find her and she would also be joined by Parsnip (a brown rabbit) who first appeared about 1991–92, Poppy and/or Why Bird later in
552-422: A few selected families who need more privacy. The daily feeding sessions take place at noon and 4 p.m. A large mass of the birds gather round; children are invited to help with the feeding. At the end of July, the swans become flightless, for around six weeks, due to the moulting of their feathers. Once every two years, the swans are rounded up, so that they can be examined, weighed and measured and any new birds to
621-469: A flying bird, although it has been questioned whether this heavyweight could still take flight. Mute swans can achieve speeds in flight of up to 88.5 km/h (55 mph), and during take off achieve speeds of around 48 km/h (30 mph) when running to gain lift . Young birds, called cygnets, are not the bright white of mature adults, and their bill is dull greyish-black, not orange, for the first year. The down may range from pure white to grey to buff, with grey/buff
690-508: A glove puppet called Ruby. The programme always featured a rhyme accompanied by Makaton sign language and a song performed by a marionette named Lizzie Dreams, who loved to sing and dance. She was occasionally accompanied by another marionette named Nick. There was also a story, often featuring Max and his magical chest of dressing-up clothes. Presenters The non-speaking Dot, played by Rebecca Higgins , had fun with music or numbers and counting. Later there were three Dots: 'The Dot who plays
759-491: A lost or dead mate or cygnet. Swans will go through a mourning process, and in the case of the loss of their mate, may either stay where their counterpart lived or fly off to join a flock. Should one of the pair die while there are cygnets present, the remaining parent will take up their partner's duties in raising the clutch. Mute swans lay from 4 to 10 eggs. The female broods for around 36 days, with cygnets normally hatching between May and July. The young swans do not achieve
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#1732859237550828-484: A play or show. Humphrey, a unicyclist puppet, and Wobble, a roly-poly clown also took part in the stories and they sometimes accompanied Lizzie for her songs (see The Playground Stop ). When the stop became the Poppy Stop, the setting was at Poppy the cat's house, typically presented by Karl Woolley . Why Bird, Peggy Patch and other characters would often also appear in episodes at Poppy's house. At Christmas time,
897-614: A sidekick called Mr Domino ( Peter Gunn , Stephen Cannon ). The Dot who plays the drums was accompanied by Domino the Musical Monkey. It was later replaced by the Roundabout Stop, presented by Mr. Jolly ( Robin Fritz ), who maintained a fairground carousel called Rosie, whose platform initially did not have any objects to ride on. The show featured Bitsy Bob ( Michele Durler ), who played music and made things, and initially Bella and Baxter
966-656: A single pair on smaller lakes, though in a few locations where a large area of suitable feeding habitat is found, they can be colonial. The largest colonies have over 100 pairs, such as at the colony at Abbotsbury Swannery in southern England, and at the southern tip of Öland Island, Ottenby Preserve, in the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea , and can have nests spaced as little as 2 m (7 ft) apart. Non-mated juveniles up to 3–4 years old commonly form larger flocks, which can total several hundred birds, often at regular traditional sites. A notable flock of non-breeding birds
1035-482: A study of population sizes in the lower Great Lakes from 1971 to 2000 found that mute swan numbers were increasing at an average rate of at least 10% per year, doubling the population every seven to eight years. Several studies have concluded that mute swans severely reduce the densities of submerged vegetation where they occur. In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to "minimize environmental damages attributed to Mute Swans" by reducing their numbers in
1104-475: A threat to infirm ones (healthy adults can usually swim away from danger and nest defence is usually successful) and there are a few cases of healthy adults falling prey to the golden eagles . In Great Britain, there has been an increased rate of attacks on swans by out-of-control dogs, especially in parks where the birds are less territorial. This is considered criminal in British law, and the birds are placed under
1173-426: A weight range of 9.2–14.3 kg (20–32 lb) while the slightly smaller females (known as pens ) averaged about 8.5 to 9.67 kg (18.7 to 21.3 lb), with a weight range of 7.6–10.6 kg (17–23 lb). While the top normal weight for a big cob is roughly 15 kg (33 lb), one unusually big Polish cob weighed almost 23 kg (51 lb) and this counts as the largest weight ever verified for
1242-531: A wide range of vegetation, both submerged aquatic plants which they reach with their long necks, and by grazing on land. The food commonly includes agricultural crop plants such as oilseed rape and wheat , and feeding flocks in the winter may cause significant crop damage, often as much through trampling with their large webbed feet, as through direct consumption. It will also feed on small proportions of aquatic insects , fish and frogs . Unlike black swans , mute swans are usually strongly territorial with just
1311-440: Is 10–11.8 cm (3.9–4.6 in) and the bill is 6.9–9 cm (2.7–3.5 in). The plumage is white, while the legs are dark grey. The beak of the mute swan is bright orange, with black around the nostrils and a black nail . The mute swan is one of the heaviest extant flying birds. In several studies from Great Britain, males (known as cobs ) were found to average from about 10.6 to 11.87 kg (23.4 to 26.2 lb), with
1380-649: Is a variant form of cycnus , borrowing from Greek κύκνος kyknos , a word of the same meaning. Despite its Eurasian origin, its closest relatives are the black swan of Australia and the black-necked swan of South America, not the other Northern Hemisphere swans of the genus Cygnus . The species is monotypic , with no living subspecies . Mute swan subfossils, 6,000 years old, have been found in post-glacial peat beds of East Anglia , Great Britain. They have been recorded from Ireland east to Portugal and Italy , and from France , 13,000 BP (Desbrosse and Mourer-Chauvire 1972–1973). Cygnus olor bergmanni ,
1449-438: Is believed to have been set up by Benedictine monks in the eleventh century. The Fleet lagoon formed at the end of the last ice age as melt water flooded behind the already formed Chesil Beach leaving shallow salty water in which plants grew profusely producing an ideal environment for wildfowl and water birds. The Benedictine monastery of St. Peter 's was established on the site in the eleventh century when King Cnut gave
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#17328592375501518-673: Is found on the River Tweed estuary at Berwick-upon-Tweed in northeastern England, with a maximum count of 787 birds. A large population exists near the Swan Lifeline Station in Windsor and lives on the Thames in the shadow of Windsor Castle . Once the adults are mated they seek out their territories and often live close to ducks and gulls , which may take advantage of the swan's ability to reach deep water weeds, which tend to spread out on
1587-535: Is native to much of Eurasia , and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home to the largest populations outside of its native range, with additional smaller introductions in Australasia and southern Africa. The name "mute" derives from it being less vocal than other swan species. Measuring 125 to 160 cm (49 to 63 in) in length, this large swan
1656-474: Is not sufficient to drive off the predator or intruder, are followed by a physical attack. Swans attack by striking at the threat with bony spurs in their wings, accompanied by biting with their large bill, while smaller waterbirds such as ducks are normally grabbed with the swan's bill and dragged or thrown clear of the swan and its offspring. Swans will kill intruders into their territory, both other swans, and geese and ducks, by drowning, climbing onto and pecking
1725-512: Is now allowed to be killed or held in captivity at the discretion of the Minister of Conservation . A small feral population exists in the vicinity of Perth , Australia ; however, it is believed to number less than 100 individuals. The mute swan has been the national bird of Denmark since 1984. Before that, the skylark was considered Denmark's national bird (since 1960). The fairy tale " The Ugly Duckling " by Hans Christian Andersen tells
1794-530: Is responsible for defending the cygnets while on the water, and will sometimes attack small watercraft, such as canoes , that it feels are a threat to its young. The cob will additionally try to chase the predator out of his family territory and will keep animals such as foxes and raptors at bay. In New York (outside its native range), the most common predators of cygnets are common snapping turtles . Healthy adults are rarely preyed upon, though canids such as coyotes , felids such as lynx , and bears can pose
1863-706: Is shared with the Vintners' and Dyers' Companies, who were granted rights of ownership by the Crown in the 15th century. The mute swans in the moat at the Bishops Palace at Wells Cathedral in Wells , England have for centuries been trained to ring bells via strings attached to them to beg for food. Two swans are still able to ring for lunch. The pair of swans in the Boston Public Garden are named Romeo and Juliet after
1932-504: Is wholly white in plumage with an orange beak bordered with black. It is recognisable by its pronounced knob atop the beak, which is larger in males. The mute swan was first formally named by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin as Anas olor in 1789 and was transferred by Johann Matthäus Bechstein to the new genus Cygnus in 1803. Both cygnus and olor mean "swan" in Latin ; cygnus
2001-587: The Atlantic Flyway to pre-1986 levels, a 67% reduction at the time. According to a report published in the Federal Register of 2003 the proposal was supported by all thirteen state wildlife agencies which submitted comments, as well as by 43 bird conservation, wildlife conservation and wildlife management organisations. Ten animal rights organisations and the vast majority of comments from individuals were opposed. At this time mute swans were protected under
2070-735: The Migratory Bird Treaty Act due to a court order, but in 2005 the United States Department of the Interior officially declared them a non-native, unprotected species. Mute swans are protected in some areas of the U.S. by local laws, for example, in Connecticut . The status of the mute swan as an introduced species in North America is disputed by the interest group "Save the Mute Swans". They assert that mute swans are native to
2139-838: The Miocene to the late Pleistocene or 10,000 BP. The latest find was in Anza-Borrego Desert, a state park in California. Fossils from the Pleistocene include Cygnus paloregonus from Fossil Lake, Oregon, Froman's Ferry, Idaho, and Arizona, referred to by Howard in The Waterfowl of the World as "probably the mute type swan". Adults of this large swan typically range from 140 to 160 cm (55 to 63 in) long, although can range in extreme cases from 125 to 170 cm (49 to 67 in), with
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2208-664: The Shakespearean couple ; however, it was found that both of them are females. While The Sydney Swans Football Club earned their nickname from the many players they recruited from Western Australia in the 1930's (the Black Swan being the State's Badge and Bird ), the Football Club adopted the Mute Swan as their symbol as it matched their red and white team colours. The swan's plumage on
2277-1026: The 2006–2007 winter, a slight decline from the peak of about 26,000–27,000 birds in 1990. This includes about 5,300 breeding pairs, the remainder being immatures. Other significant populations in Europe include 6,800–8,300 breeding pairs in Germany , 4,500 pairs in Denmark , 4,000–4,200 pairs in Poland , 3,000–4,000 pairs in the Netherlands , about 2,500 pairs in Ireland , and 1,200–1,700 pairs in Ukraine . For many centuries, mute swans in Great Britain were domesticated for food, with individuals being marked by nicks on their webs (feet) or beaks to indicate ownership. These marks were registered with
2346-505: The Crown and a Royal Swanherd was appointed. Any birds not so marked became Crown property, hence the swan becoming known as the "Royal Bird". This domestication saved the mute swan from extirpation through overhunting in Great Britain. Populations in Western Europe were largely exterminated by hunting pressure in the 13th–19th centuries, except for semi-domesticated birds maintained as poultry by large landowners. Better protection in
2415-483: The Dorset coast. It is brackish and tidal, but sheltered by Chesil Beach, and is a Ramsar site of international importance and a Site of Special Scientific Interest , and has been a nature reserve since as early as 1393. The swannery is at its westerly extremity. Abbotsbury Swannery is today a tourist attraction and the swans have become accustomed to the presence of visitors and allow close but respectful approach even in
2484-465: The Fleet Lagoon. Visitors can wander on small paths among the various nests, sometimes experiencing the birds' territorial displays. The swannery is open to the public between March and the end of October, and an interesting time to visit is between the middle of May and the end of June when young cygnets are present. Twice a day at noon and 4pm, mass feeding of the swans takes place. Abbotsbury Swannery
2553-491: The Lost Property Office. In a later series the office installed a telephone where people, usually Peggy or Poppy, could phone in asking for particular things (examples include information about spiders and a night time picture to help someone sleep during the day). Why Bird was voiced and puppeteered by Ellie Darvill for 9 series. Bus Drivers A variety of different things were involved. The programme always opened with
2622-723: The Mediterranean. It is known and recorded to have nested in Iceland and is a vagrant in that area as well as in Bermuda, according to the UN Environment Programme chart of international status chart of bird species, which places it in 70 countries, breeding in 49 countries, and vagrant in 16 countries. While most of the current population in Japan is introduced, mute swans are depicted on scrolls more than 1,000 years old, and wild birds from
2691-736: The Numbears followed by puppets Morris Cog and Milly Sprocket ( Nick Mercer and Michele Durler ), who presented a segment called "Morris and Milly's Numerical Melodies", where they sang a song glorifying a particular number. The Roundabout Stop also played host to an array of extra visitors to help with Rosie's puzzles, including but not limited to, Rhythm Man (David Rubin), Dilys Litefoot ( Teresa Gallagher ), Paul Morocco, Allesandro Bernardi, Morton McKewan ( Iain Lauchlan ), Gladys Tootle (Sarah Davison) and Leaping Lindy ( Caroline Hinds ). Children from local schools and organisations such as Chickenshed helped with
2760-583: The Strangways family through fifteen generations up to the present day; an estate of some 61 square kilometres (15,000 acres) in Dorset covering Chesil Beach and Abbotsbury is still held by the Ilchester Estate owned by Mrs Charlotte Townshend, the daughter of the 9th Viscount Galway , a descendant of the first Countess of Ilchester. The Fleet, besides which the swannery sits, is the largest lagoon in Europe, and runs for about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) along
2829-520: The ability to fly before about 120 to 150 days old. This limits the distribution of the species at the northern edge of its range as the cygnets need to learn to fly before the ponds and lakes freeze over. The mute swan is found naturally mainly in temperate areas of Europe, then across the Palearctic as far east as Primorsky Krai , near Sidemi. It is partially migratory throughout northern latitudes in Europe and Asia, as far south as North Africa and
Abbotsbury Swannery - Misplaced Pages Continue
2898-461: The area being designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Protected Area (SPA) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Nesting mute swans are usually intensely territorial, so it is unusual to see this many pairs in proximity to each other. However, the closeness of the nests can sometimes lead to problems as newly hatched cygnets can become attached to the wrong parent bird; to overcome this, rearing pens are used for
2967-406: The back of the head and forcing the other bird underwater. The wings of the swan are very powerful, though not strong enough to break an adult man's leg, as is commonly misquoted. Large waterfowl, such as Canada geese (more likely out of competition than in response to potential predation), may be aggressively driven off, and mute swans regularly attack people who enter their territory. The cob
3036-462: The busking posture for wind-assisted transportation over several hundred meters, so-called windsurfing. When very young, cygnets may climb onto the back of one of their parents if they become tired while on the water, with the adult proceeding to carry them around. Cygnets may also shelter beneath their parent's wings during periods of heavy rain as a means to stay warm and dry. Like other swans, mute swans are known for their ability to grieve for
3105-419: The colony ringed. The round-up is undertaken by around 50 canoes that start at the eastern end of the lagoon and slowly drive the birds into the swannery bay at Abbotsbury. In the past the round-up has resulted in over 900 birds being caught and recorded, but it varies from year to year. Today, there are around 600 swans. They are free-flying birds and could choose to nest anywhere, but are obviously attracted by
3174-610: The eastern United States and Great Lakes , much as the Canada goose has done in Europe. The total native population of mute swans is about 500,000 birds at the end of the breeding season (adults plus young), of which up to 350,000 are in Russia . The largest single breeding concentration is 11,000 pairs in the Volga Delta . The population in the United Kingdom is about 22,000 birds as of
3243-402: The episode featured the characters finding different shaped pictures, which came together to form the title of a nursery rhyme or song, which was performed by the entire cast at the end of the episode. In later episodes (1995 to 1997) Mr Jolly was played by Andy Hockley . Rosie's platform bore a tractor, a ship, an aeroplane and a car. These episodes featured Peggy, Poppy and Why Bird, who rode on
3312-482: The episode. She was originally non-speaking, but gained a voice ( Sally Preisig ) in 1994. Presenters included Vanessa Amberleigh , Colin Kerrigan , Ian Henderson , Sarah Davison , Teresa Gallagher , Neil Bett and Peter Quilter . A group of actors, including Trish Cooke , Ricky Diamond , Robert Hopkins , Will Brenton , Sue Monroe & Sarah Davison , would dress up, and with the help of some children, perform
3381-416: The head and neck) are often stained orange-brown by iron and tannins in the water. The colour morph C. o. morpha immutabilis ( immūtābilis is Latin for "immutable, unchangeable, unalterable"), also known as the "Polish swan", has pinkish (not dark grey) legs and dull white cygnets; as with white domestic geese , it is found only in populations with a history of domestication. Polish swans carry
3450-460: The highest protection due to their association with the monarch. Mute swans will readily attack dogs to protect themselves and their cygnets from an attack, and an adult swan is capable of overwhelming and drowning even large dog breeds. The familiar pose with the neck curved back and wings half raised, known as busking, is a threat display. Both feet are paddled in unison during this display, resulting in more jerky movement. The swans may also use
3519-533: The human bus driver – there were several throughout the series. She had a special computer called the Why-Tech, which had a variety of uses: it could provide music for songs, pictures for stories, instructions for making something in keeping with the programme's theme, or to help sing a song (e.g. paper sugar buns for Five Currant Buns ). In a later series, the office became more like a warehouse, called "Why's Workshop". There were at least 5 different Why-Techs used over
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#17328592375503588-463: The land to his steward, Orc, and the monks managed the swans as a ready source of meat for use at their lavish banquets. The swannery was used by the monks until 1539 when the monastery was dissolved by King Henry VIII . The ruined remains of the monastery are still visible near the Church of St. Nicholas , Abbotsbury. The site was then purchased by Sir Giles Strangways, and has remained in the ownership of
3657-606: The late 19th and early 20th centuries allowed the species to expand and return to most or all of their former range. More recently in the period from about 1960 up to the early 1980s, numbers declined significantly again in many areas in England, primarily due to lead poisoning from birds swallowing lead shots from shooting and discarded fishing weights made from lead . After lead weights and shots were mostly replaced by other less toxic alternatives, mute swan numbers increased again rapidly. Since being introduced into North America,
3726-517: The logo is designed to replicate the sails of the Sydney Opera House . Playdays Playdays (known as Playbus until December 1989) is a British preschool television programme which ran from 1988 to 1997 on Children's BBC . The show was the successor to Play School and, like its predecessor, was designed as an educational programme. The show's name was changed after the BBC received
3795-437: The mainland Asian population still occur rarely in winter. Natural migrants to Japan usually occur along with whooper and sometimes Bewick's swans. The mute swan is protected in most of its range, but this has not prevented illegal hunting and poaching . It is often kept in captivity outside its natural range, as a decoration for parks and ponds, and escapes have happened. The descendants of such birds have become naturalised in
3864-419: The most common. The white cygnets have a leucistic gene. Cygnets grow quickly, reaching a size close to their adult size in approximately three months after hatching. Cygnets typically retain their grey feathers until they are at least one year old, with the down on their wings having been replaced by flight feathers earlier that year. All mute swans are white at maturity, though the feathers (particularly on
3933-640: The mute swan has increased greatly in number to the extent that it is considered an invasive species there. Populations introduced into other areas remain small, with around 200 in Japan, fewer than 200 in New Zealand and Australia , and about 120 in South Africa . The mute swan was introduced to North America in the late 19th century. Recently, it has been widely viewed as an invasive species because of its rapidly increasing numbers and its adverse effects on other waterfowl and native ecosystems . For example,
4002-513: The nesting season when cygnets are on the nest. Before viewing the swans, visitors can look at the Decoyman's House which sets the scene for the visit with a display explaining how the colony has been managed over the years and how the present situation has evolved. Apart from the swans, the Fleet and Chesil Beach attracts many species of waterfowl and over 300 different varieties have been recorded leading to
4071-403: The presenter (several, including Dave Benson Phillips and Elizabeth Fost ), saying, "Boys and Girls, come out to play...", followed by the programme's theme, (e.g. we're playing racing games today). The show featured a group of children doing activities, such as pretending to be cooks and making paper meals. Dave was accompanied by a glove puppet named Chester. Elizabeth was also accompanied by
4140-451: The puzzles and performed the song at the end of the programme. Also joining Mr. Jolly occasionally were Professor Mopp and Morgan from the Dot Stop. During the time Clive Duncan played Mr. Jolly, the team was later joined by the musician, Charlie Grindle ( Nick Mercer ), who also appeared as one of the bus drivers from The Why Bird Stop. Charlie often sang songs for them as well. The main body of
4209-566: The region and therefore deserving of protection. They claim that mute swans had origins in Russia and cite historical sightings and fossil records. These claims have been rejected as specious by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The mute swan had absolute protection in New Zealand under the Wildlife Act 1953 , but this was changed in June 2010 to a lower level of protection. It still has protection, but
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#17328592375504278-408: The rhythm of the song typically fails to match the pace of the head movements of two dating swans. Mute swans usually hiss at competitors or intruders trying to enter their territory. The most familiar sound associated with mute swans is the vibrant throbbing of the wings in flight which is unique to the species and can be heard from a range of 1 to 2 km (0.6 to 1 mi), indicating its value as
4347-432: The roundabout and went off on adventures (but on some episodes only Peggy and Why went on adventures so on the 3rd shape they would both go together). Due to Peggy's small size in comparison to Why Bird and Poppy, she would typically ride the ship or the tractor on the roundabout so that she could sit astride the vehicle's funnel as it meant she could be seen better. At the start and end of each adventure, Mr Jolly would sing
4416-458: The song 'Roll up and ride on Rosie'. A picture associated with the adventure appeared in their shaped ticket (purple circle, red square, pink triangle, yellow diamond, green arch or blue rectangle), and these would combine to make the song, which ended the episode. A special 40-minute direct-to-video feature called 'Winter Adventure' was released in 1997. The special saw Mr Jolly, again played by Andy Hockley with Poppy, Why Bird and Peggy visiting
4485-562: The story of a cygnet ostracised by his fellow barnyard fowl because of his perceived unattractiveness. To his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a graceful swan, the most beautiful bird of all. Today, the British Monarch retains the right to ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water, but King Charles III exercises his ownership only on certain stretches of the Thames and its surrounding tributaries. This ownership
4554-466: The violin' ( Eithne Hannigan ), 'The Dot who plays the drums' ( Liz Kitchen ) and 'The Dot you can count on' ( Dyanne White ). Sometimes, a puppet called Dash would appear and squirm its way through holes in the set. It had a song: "Not number one, not number two, not number three or four, not number five, not number six, only one Dash can do tricks!" Another pair of puppet friends were Professor Mopp and his blue dog Morgan. The Violinist and Counting Dots had
4623-427: The water surface. The mute swan is less vocal than the noisy whooper and tundra swans ; they do, however, make a variety of sounds, often described as "grunting, hoarse whistling, and snorting noises." During a courtship display, mute swans utter a rhythmic song. The song helps synchronize the movements of their heads and necks. It could technically be employed to distinguish a bonded couple from two dating swans, as
4692-504: The years. The first one had a brown wood effect and was used until 1990. The second one was remote controlled and used from about June 1990 until 1992. The third one that was first appeared in episode 105 from June 1992 was blue and continued to be used in the opening credits until the end although it was replaced with another blue one a few months later. It also showed videos, usually to show how everyday things were made – socks, toothbrushes etc. Sometimes either Peggy or Poppy or both visited
4761-533: Was one of the filming locations for Patch Stop episodes of children's TV show Playdays . Abbotsbury Swannery features on the cover of the Martha and the Muffins 1980 hit " Echo Beach ". 50°39′14″N 2°36′10″W / 50.6538°N 2.6029°W / 50.6538; -2.6029 Mute swan The mute swan ( Cygnus olor ) is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae . It
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