Seeing swans in black and white

I had to share these cartoons dating from the early days of British settlement of the Swan River Colony in Western Australia. They are funny and fascinating at the same time.

They show that the nature of capitalist enterprise was alive and well back then, along with a sense that those in positions of influence will try to get away with whatever they can - and that things don't always turn out as planned. Has anything changed? What I particularly 'love' about them is the depiction of the swans. The swans here are of course black - but to the British mind swans were white - and so black becomes white. Perhaps it is a window into the wrong-headedness of much of the early years of the colony. Seeing but not seeing, understanding but misunderstanding?? The swans don't look too happy either ...

Captain Dick Demi-Solde on a Wilde Goose Flight to the Swan River, 1829. by caricaturist  S. Stoutshanks, lithographer  Charles Ingrey, published in 1829.

The first image depicts the Duke of Wellington (Prime Minister of England) and is a criticism of the British Government over the establishment of the Swan River Colony.

Peel, Peel, Swan River Peel! Very Fine Peel! 1829. by caricaturist A Sharpshooter, published in 1829. 

The next two cartoons criticise the Right Honorable Robert Peel, who was Secretary of State (in England) and his cousin Thomas. These cartoons imply that Robert Peel influenced the decision to grant land to Thomas' syndicate of financiers who had tried to do a deal with the Government for a grant of prime land. However they failed to be allocated prime land as Peel's shipload of settlers arrived six weeks after the Government's stipulated deadline. They were allocated poorer land and eventually the whole scheme failed.

Cousin Thomas, or the Swan River Job [Plucking or Peeling], 1829 by caricaturist Robert Seymour, published in 1829.

All the images are from the National Gallery of Australia and are part of the Wordsworth Collection, purchased in 2010. Link to the NGA here.

Swans at midnight

The road in to the campsite

Yes, I did really get up after midnight to sit on the bank of Carrawine Gorge to listen to the swans feeding and bugling. It was cold but I was well rugged up complete with quilt wrapped around me. Scorpio hung in the sky above the gorge wall opposite me and the moon was not yet up. From the darkness came the sounds of water lapping on the shore, gentle liquid sounds as the swans pulled up water weeds and their calls in duplicate, echoing back and forth across the pool. Occasionally a grebe dashed dashed across the water or the more strident duck's 'warrk, warrk, warrk' interrupted the tranquility of the night.

Swans feeding 

Carrawine Gorge at sunrise

Carrawine Gorge on the Oakover River  is more or less on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert, just off the Woodie Woodie Rd. One side of the gorge is a tall rocky cliff and the other has a little grass beneath trees, a wide expanse of deep stones surrounded by an arid stony landscape. The best way to get through the expanse of stones was to let your tyre pressure down - a bit like going through deep sand. Obviously the deposition of a few decent floods.

Carrawine Gorge at dawn

The pool is huge, wide and long, and supports a wide variety of wildlife. Camped on the edge it simply invites relaxation: one can sit for hours just looking and listening. The colours of the gorge and waters changed dramatically through the day. Hopefully the photos will give you a taste for the colours!

Reflections 

The most surprising sighting was a white bellied sea eagle flying along the gorge as we were about 200km inland. There were a number of reed warblers feeding in the reeds beside our campsite - I hadn't seen or heard them before at such close range. We were of course visited by cattle feeding on the grasses beside the water. They were red, just like the dust, with the conformation typical of tropical breeding.

Camp visitor

On the move

Now that we've had some good winter rains, huge flocks of birds are patrolling the farm paddocks feasting on the plentiful food to be found. There have been a few white ibis around here for some time but in the last week flocks of straw necked ibis with their glossy iridescent black wings have been seen wheeling through the sky in 'V' formation then landing and working the paddocks for insects. They will be seen feeding in the paddocks for months from now, going well into spring. I must admit I don't know where the ibis go to when they disappear later in the year.

Part of a flock of straw necked ibis

Another fantastic sight is the black swans feeding in paddocks. Previously we'd see them in selected spots on the inlet, their long necks curving down into the water as they fed on underwater vegetation. Their beautiful bright red beaks a rich contrast against their black plumage. Now they flaunt themselves in the paddocks, occasionally stretching their wings to reveal the stark white wing flash. Going past the inlet today there were only a few swans to be seen on the silvery waters.

Black swans feeding 

The black swan, Cygnus atratus,  is the only swan in the world that is predominantly black. I am so glad they are still plentiful. To me they have always seemed special. A few years ago we were camped at an inland lake that had a number of swans making the most of the plentiful water. All night long we heard the magical sound of the swans - a surround sound of musical bugling as they called to each other across the lake. All the more beautiful when you are out in the desert - so unexpected.

Black swans clearly showing their red beaks

Cattle are the most commonly seen animal in the paddocks around here. These are fairly late calves as calving generally starts in late summer. Mostly it's beef cattle with a few hardy/efficient/enterprising dairy farms still operating in this region. There has been a gradual change from dairy to beef cattle farming in this district. We live on what was once a cattle farm - subdivision for housing is now more lucrative than farming especially close to town.

Calves under the karri

Couldn't resist this - mobs of roos are quite a common sight in paddocks too - they are here all year round sharing the paddocks with the cattle and the birds.

Small mob of roos with peppermint trees behind

Just as the birds migrate from one area to another so to do the humans. Winter is a time when a portion of the population down here head up north to the warmer weather. We will be doing the same, heading north during my uni break till we hit the warmer weather. Next weekend we are heading up to the Pilbara for a month. So I will be posting from whenever I can manage it - access to communications and power permitting. The towns will be fine but when we are camped out in the sticks - ?? I'll find out.