Swan Trouble

The photos for this post are not of the events discussed as the swan family was about half a mile away. We were observing them through a scope.

August 15 - While eating breakfast we noticed the swans were acting strangely. The adults were looking toward the eagle's tree then toward the south. At first we thought a cygnet was missing. I looked along the river bank near the adults trying to count clumps of gray feathers in the grass. Eventually they moved around enough for me to identify all five of them.

What was the problem?

Mid-morning the entire family moved to the water. But it was obvious something was still troubling them.

Then the male (cob) took to the air. He flew about 100 yards then returned to the water. I was so excited. Was this flight lessons? He paddled a little way back toward the family then drifted awhile. But soon he took to the air again, flying farther from his family. He landed and drifted again.

Meanwhile the mom (pen) looked agitated, swimming back and forth.

What was all this?

Then the cob took to the air a third time. He flew to the far end on the "wide spot" in the river. Then I got it. The cob was now within 20 feet of a swan we had not noticed before. The swan family had seen this interloper arrive, while we had not.

I was now thinking of them as "our swans" and "squatter swan." Both males sat in the water wings spread wide, necks flat against their backs. (I later learned this is an aggressive posture). They bobbed their heads appearing to flip water at each other, (busking) but their bills didn't seem to touch the water. They swam apart then drifted, then swam toward each other. Each time they swam closer they would repeat the busking.

Suddenly our swan took to the air. The squatter remained.

Our swan landed in the water 100 feet from his family. I looked back at the squatter.

The squatter paddled to adjust his direction then took to the air. Soon he flew over the foot hills and out of sight.

The cob swam toward his family. He was greeted by the pen. They stood up as far as possible while on water. They bobbed their heads repeatedly and flapped their wings slowly like a touch-less hug. They were clearly happy to see each other.

I reran the scenario in my head hearing the pen nagging, as any mother would. You coward, get down there and take care of this! Your cygnet's future is at stake! Tell that squatter to leave!

In the end, it was a bit of stress for the parents, but not a lost feather. Stress can be really bad for wild creatures as it uses extra energy, but it's not the end of summer. They still have time to prepare for migration and accumulate fat and teach their cygnets to fly.

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