Swans of Stratford Park

CleanSteve dropped me off near my place of work today, and, as I had ten minutes to spare, I ran along to Stratford Park. Now that I know the cygnets have been born, it's going to be hard to keep away! Reports suggest that there are six, but I only saw one with its parent, and the other parent keeping guard close by. Maybe the other five are tucked under Mum's wings.

These are the same parents I blipped last year, with previous brood of three. Apparently when the cygnets get ready to leave, they start to wander from the pond area. As there are two main roads adjoining, this could be fatal for them, so the cygnets are 'helped' to leave by the wildlife team that manage the park's creatures. The team has experience gained at Slimbridge Wildlife and Wetlands Trust, so know how to handle swans. You can read more about the Swans of Stratford Park on this blog. By the end of January this year, all the cygnets had left, or been assisted to leave.

Back to this year... I know it is not a great shot, but it rained all day, and I was short of time. This is the first fluffy cygnet I have photographed. In school we have three chicks in an incubator! They are adorable, but will probably be given away when they mature. Clearly it's only humans who hang on to their offspring for decades. On the other hand, they don't produce between one and seven new ones every year!