Swans
While on our evening chorus walk, we also saw a decidedly less quiet bird, literally - the mute swan (Cygnus olor). The UK's only resident species of swan (we have two wintering species, the Bewick's and Whooper swans), the mute swan is a member of the Anatidae (or waterfowl) family. Easily recognisable, swans are large, white waterbirds, with a long, graceful neck, often curved into an S-shape in the symbolism of love and grace it is often depicted in. In flight, its neck is outstretched, and its wings make a characteristic throbbing sound. Indeed, this species is not technically mute, able to produce a wide variety of grunting and snorting noises, although its name is derived from its quieter nature than other swan species.
This individual we saw is a juvenile, shown by the brownish tinge to the feathers on the head and neck, as well as the pale grey/pinkish bill colour. The adults have a bright orange bill with a black base and knob, which can be used to differentiate the sexes. Male swans (cobs) have a larger knob than the female swans (pens). The sexes also differ in their roles during raising their young. The pen incubates the eggs, with the cob guarding them (but not incubating) while the pen leaves the nest to feed. Their young, called cygnets, are covered in fluffy grey feathers, which then develop into the elegant white plumage of the adults - they are the true ugly ducklings of the rhyme! Although adult swans often become stained orange-brown by iron and tannins in the water. Swans then typically breed themselves once they are around 4 years old.
Here is Izie trying to eat the swan! While she was just joking, in Elizabethan times, swan was considered a luxury meat and eaten by the aristocracy as a symbol of their wealth. Today, people are more likely to feed the swans than eat them, luckily. The swan's association with royalty continues, however. The British Monarch has the right of ownership of all unmarked swans on open water. While the current King, Charles III, only exercises this right over stretches of the Thames and its tributaries. And even though this may have no tangible impact on the swans or their populations, this archaic rule should be done away with. Granting ownership of wild animals to a human is immoral enough, let alone giving this right solely to an unelected person based only on their inheritance. Luckily, humans have been treating swans more nicely recently, with better protection afforded to the species and the problem of lead poisoning in waterways slowly being resolved by a ban on lead fishing weights. Hopefully measures such as these will allow our beautiful swans to persist for as long as the everlasting love they represent.
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