Swans with new arrivals

I have taken a keen interest in these parents since 2011. That year, despite the efforts of the gamekeeper this family were in the habit of wondering from the safety of the pond and nest site to feed. Sadly in late June all five cygnets were killed in a single night by a fox. Of the nine cygnets born around the estate only one made it through the summer of 2011 - unsurprisingly he was known as solo.

Last year was more successful - these parents managed to raise 3 cygnets to maturity at the same pond.

This year we still have a few foxes at large and there is another challenge - the water levels on the pond are extremely low which means that they have to travel quite a distance from the pond to feed. The gamekeeper does a remarkable job keeping the little ones fed on grain spillage but it is a precarious existence. The other family seems to have abandoned their nest as I have seen them on another pond without cygnets in the last few days.