Swans are not pets!

We have some beautiful white Swans staying on the pond across the street from my house. They are not pets but they do follow me around the pond when I walk with Hibbs and Heeks. These Swans have decided that this small pond is a good refuge for them. They are not there all the time. They flew in the other day. They come in with a lot of fanfare as they are so large and they sort of skid on the top of the water when landing. You can hear them coming as well due to the sound their wings make when they are flying. They are just magnificent.

I do not feed them ordinarily. I gave them some crackers the other day in order to lure them closer so that I could take their pictures. Due to the fact that they are not pets it is not a good idea to feed them on a regular basis. They would eventually become dependent on the feed and they may stick around when they should be moving on.

This past year we had a second pair on the larger pond in my area. They created a huge nest up there and were the talk of the neighborhood. Everyone was keeping tabs on their progress, waiting for Signets to be born. The pair did have eggs but sadly they never hatched. There could be several reasons for that happening but I don’t think we will ever know for sure. People were very conscious of leaving them alone so that they would feel as little stress as possible during the process but it was not meant to be.

Although my neighbors and I get to enjoy the Swans being on our ponds we know that they are not pets. They are given a large berth which they seem to enjoy. If anyone does venture a little to close they let you know with a hiss anyway. I hope you enjoy the picture I took!

Donna