NatureYvelines

Mute Swan Family 2 & 0-4-3-2 Cygnets [June-July 2021]

This album documents the first weeks of the lives of 4 mute swan cygnets. They were born in mid-June 2021 and grew rapidly. Unfortunately 2 have passed away in the observation window of this gallery.

Published by Dr Jiulin Teng on 03 Aug 2021 · Updated on 03 Aug 2021

Keywords: cygnetslakemute-swannaturesummerswans

Hero Image for Mute Swan Family 2 & 0-4-3-2 Cygnets [June-July 2021]

The mute swan couple that I was fortunate enough to have captured mating at the end of April incubated the eggs throughout the month of May. On 13 June 2021, I saw the first two chicks hatched. The pen spent a couple more days on and around the eggs, and eventually four cygnets were born.

In this album, I share the last days of incubation as well as the early days of growth of the cygnets: Around the turn of July, unfortunately, one cygnet disappeared. I noticed that the swans were more reluctant to have their cygnets in the water and more careful thereafter. This also makes me believe that the herons around the lake were picking the cygnets, and in all likelihood have grown a taste for them.

Towards the end of this album, you can see that the cygnets have grown notably. One more cygnet was lost, perhaps for the same reason, in the latter half of July. Still, they have been more fortunate than the other mute swan couple, who lost all chicks within two weeks.

Another point that is interesting is that, if you paid attention, one of the cygnets is decidedly darker than the other three. This one has so far survived the harsh nature.