Cygnet at 3 months

Our mute swan cygnet is now around three and a half months old, and is unrecognisable from the tiny, vulnerable ball of grey down that first emerged from the nest back in May. It never ceases to amaze me just how quickly they grow and the time has passed in what feels like the blink…

3 week old cygnet

Our little Mute Swan cygnet is now around 3 weeks old, and growing rapidly! Now that it has grown stronger and has survived the first and most vulnerable weeks of it’s life, the parents have relaxed their guard, although they are still careful not to let the cygnet stray too far from their sides. As…

Survival of the fittest

A couple of weeks earlier than last year, and once again we have a cygnet out on the river Rheidol, hatched from the resident swan pair, whose lives I have followed closely over recent years. Sadly however, it seems the pairs’ success of last year (when they reared 5 cygnets to independence) is not set…

Tranquility

It was a perfect winter’s day here in Aberystwyth. We awoke to a crisp frost which melted away to a glorious sunny day but still with that cold, bracing winter chill in the air. Down in the harbour the tide was high and the water looked dazzling in the morning light, creating beautiful reflections across…

An enduring friendship

A familiar face has returned to Aberystwyth harbour after dissapearing shortly before the mute swan hatchlings emerged from their nest. Now that the surviving cygnet is 4 months old and almost as large as it’s parents, the lone Canada Goose has returned and has been accepted back into to his unusual flock. Quite why this…