An Edinburgh woman has been heralded for her attempts to care for the swans of the River Esk.
Rosie McGlyn, who resides in Joppa, has been thanked by members of the Musselburgh community for her commitment to the welfare of the swans and geese that reside in the River Esk in the Honest Toun centre.
Rosie, who works as director of Mentone Energy Consultancy (a renewable energy firm that looks to integrate new technologies), says that she had frequently visited the swans in Musselburgh after a swan she had cared for in Figgate Park was moved to the River Esk following a territorial dispute.
Unfortunately, when visiting on January 14, she noticed the pollution in the water in January and grew concerned for the swans welfare after noticing an oily coating on their feathers.
The caring director has been feeding the swans peas, sweetcorn and lettuce in fresh water jugs everyday since with the help of the local community.
The story of how she became so involved with the swans lives is heartwarming and those within the Musselburgh community have commended the woman for her work.
On her motivation to help out, she explained: “I have been visiting the Esk for over a year or so. A swan from Figgate Park in Portobello - Bonnie - who had been resident there for over 20 years, was forced out of the park last year following a stooshie with a new aggressive male swan that had killed her partner Clyde.
“Bonnie and Clyde were seen as sort of mascots for the park and I would visit them frequently when working from Portobello during the first lockdown.
“When Bonnie started to fall victim to the attacks, myself and a host of others helped to look after her. Eventually we felt that she was no longer safe as the new male swan continued to attack her nest in order to make space for his own partner.
“I remember telling the male swan to leave her alone on more than one occasion. Those of us that cared for her jokingly dubbed ourselves ‘the Bonnie squad.’ She eventually had to be rescued as she flew out of the park and ended up under a railway bridge, so we got the SSPCA and they moved her to Esk in Musselburgh.
“There she met a new man - Charlie - and joined a group of around 20-30 other swans. But she moved on to a new man - George - and ended up at QMU where she fostered cygnets that had been left with a mother unable to care for them after a dog attack.
“She would often return back and forth between the rivers which led to me visiting both waterways to check up on her and her friends. This would entail feeding them sweetcorn and peas as well as floating swan pellets that encourages them to consume water as they eat.”
Rosie visited the river Esk on Friday, January 14 at lunch time in order to check on the swans. But when she arrived, there was a huge smell of diesel lingering in the air.
She travelled to the main area where the swans gather by the pedestrian bridge over the Esk. But when she took pictures of the swans, she noticed that they had a coating on their chests.
She said: “I got in touch with a volunteer I know from a specialist swan and geese study group. They are a voluntary organisation called ‘Ffie and Lothian swan and goose study group.’ They carry out activities like ringing the birds in order to be able to track their movements and make sure they are safe.
“They were really worried because they too could see the swans feathers coated in an oily material. If the swan's feathers are coated in an oily substance, they will clean themselves and will orally ingest it. It also means it is tricky for them to fly - so all in all an extremely hazardous situation.
“I have been back everyday since then for at least two hours a day to bring fresh water and sweet corn so that the swans are not eating pollutants. I like to go back to check up on them so that I can tell the SSPCA if something is amiss.
“It has been really upsetting to see these beautiful creatures struggling in the natural environment. Some of them are struggling to eat as their throats have been impacted by the diesel.
“But the community support has been incredible. We asked people to bring sweetcorn and peas - basically food with liquid in it - and ever since then we have had people come and bring us food for the swans. There is a real sense of people coming together in this community. People of all ages and backgrounds are taking part - it is wonderful to see the community spirit. Everyday I have been there someone has come up with some sweetcorn or peas for the swans.
“There is also a definite sense that the swans are part of Musselburgh and that the people want to be able to do something to help their neighbours. There has been a real focus and anger directed towards whoever had caused the issue but the flip side has been the outpouring of public support for the river and its natural climate.
“The commitment to wildlife has been amazing and I have met so many amazing people by being near the swans and checking on them. It has been fantastic to see that in times of crisis, humanity comes forward in a positive and lovely way.”
It is understood that the pollution problem continues to persist in the River Esk, with several charities and organisations speaking out against the damage caused.
Alongside this, members of the local community have been angered at the length of time the clean-up effort has taken as well as how long it has also taken to identify the culprits.
Both SEPA and East Lothian Council said they were doing everything in their power to help clean the river of pollution and to protect wildlife last week.
