swan success

these two swanys have been together for many years and have tried for at least 6 years to raise young...every year they sit on their eggs for weeks, hatch 6 cygnets...and every year until now we have seen the babies disappear one by one over the first 3 - 4 months...until now!!!!! they have managed to protect one of their chicks for a whole year now who is steadily leaving his / her ugly duckling greyness and becoming a whitey swany like its muma & dada :) it's pretty exciting. i wonder if they've figured out what was taking the others and a way around that or if it was was just luck...we'll see what happens this spring maybe more survivors. so lovely to 'know' them like this, it's horrible each year when you know they're grieving in their own swany way, they must be so proud of their handsome big bubba now!! <3 p.s. yes, pj is making a funny face in this pic but it's really about the swan family this time...