I am very thankful for old photos to share, especially in wintertime when we don't go very far, and as we get older. These were taken in 2014.
I enjoyed reading my notes and had a nice refresher on these elegant birds.
The male and the female, called cob and pen, usually mate for life, though if something happens to one, the other will find another mate.
The nest is a huge mound of material, normally dried grasses and assorted vegetation, sticks and rushes, constructed at the water's edge.
The nest is built by the female, while the male supplies the materials.
The female lays up to seven eggs between late April and early May. Both sexes incubate the eggs, which hatch after 35-41 days.
The young birds, or cygnets, sometimes ride on their parents' backs and remain with the adult birds for four or five months.
Cygnets are generally dingy brown above and whit-ish below. Occasionally, cygnets may be all white and are known as 'Polish swans'.
The young of some pairs are driven off the breeding territory as soon as their plumage is predominantly white (during late autumn or winter).
Other broods often accompany their parents to the wintering area and usually join a large flock. They will remain with this flock when the parents return to their breeding territory.
Young birds will not generally breed for the first two years of adult life.
We had stopped at a lake and there was a family feeding the swans. That's the reason we were able to get these photos.
Mom and Dad were doing a great job taking care of their little ones.
We saw our mute swan family on our way to the airport for the flight home. They were a nice parting gift.
I added my year review on that old post. In 2014 we were in the Everglades in January. In the middle of summer, we had a family reunion where we all attended the Normandy D-Day Anniversary, and then onto England and Norway, the latter being where we saw the family of swans.
We have lovely memories from those times.
Thanks for looking and I hope you have a wonderful day!
