Gun Swan Fight at the OK Corral Thurmaston Lock

I’d told them not to encourage the swans into the lock, but the crew of the day boat out of Sileby kept offering bread as they went in, so the swans followed. I tried to shoo them back out, but they were having none of it.

We’d left Raynsway about noon, after saying our goodbyes to the 2 D’s, Dave and Dilys. It’ll be next year before we’re back this way.

Bye, Dilys
There was a boat heading down Thurmaston Lock with the day boat waiting to come up, as we arrived.
The family of swans that live below the lock had, of course, gone begging on the lock landing, with considerable success. I’d spotted the other pair with their cygnets above the lock as we arrived, which is why I tried to keep the larger family out.

The day boat came up and left the lock, then mayhem. The family was spotted in the lock chamber, and the pair above decided they had no business being there. Swans are VERY territorial.

One of the adults successfully held off the attack, protecting his/her mate and the youngsters, and then took the fight out of the lock, and around the corner of the lock island.

We went in the lock and took the one remaining adult and the 5 cygnets back down to their own territory. No sign of the other adult, I hope he/she (how do you tell them apart?) was OK to fly over the sluices to rejoin the family. There was no sign as we left the lock.
Andrew Denny witnessed the same thing on the Stort a few years ago.

After this excitement we had a very quiet run along to moor just above Junction Lock. We’ve spent a couple of weekends here recently, it’s quiet and peaceful. We were the only boat on the stretch when we arrived, but were soon joined by another, then another, and another… Ah well, so much for peace and quiet.

Locks 1, miles 2