Synchronised swans

I went to Craiglockhart Pond after my physio appointment as I had seen online that the cygnets had hatched, nine in total. But I didn't see them, only their parents. 

When I arrived only dad swan was visible, snoozing on the far bank of the pond. About an hour later when I was thinking of leaving, mum swan appeared from the reeds at the other end of the pond and swam towards dad who took to the water to meet her. She hissed at me for being too close, but it was her who moved towards me rather than me moving towards her. However, I obliged her by retreating. Both swans swam about a bit together and did some feeding, then swam to the other end of the pond and mum went into the reeds. I've never known adult swans to leave cygnets alone in a nest, but I hope that's what was happening rather than all nine cygnets having perished. I will need to go back soon to see if the cygnets have reappeared.

Otherwise I spent time watching a pair of coots who had decided to nest in the middle of the pond which doesn't seem ideal. I'm guessing some of the babies have hatched as one of the coots came and went repeatedly with what must have been food while the other adult sat tight. There was also a group of what must have been four well-grown mallard young, not much smaller than the adults. I think four is a good number to make it to that stage out of one brood.