Swan female moving twigs in the water in July

[Chris – Newcastle]

Hello,
We have a pair of swans in our local park who are raising four cygnets, hatched in the second week of May this year (2021) and doing very well, They are nearly as big as the adults (3rd week of July).
The female has recently started moulting but along with that is showing some odd behaviour. She’s been moving floating twigs, just picking them up and dropping them behind her. She also does this on land but with weeds growing from the side of the pond – just pulling them out and dropping them behind her then walking on. I wondered if she was trying to demonstrate nest building to the cygnets but if so, they weren’t taking any notice – too busy eating the food people bring them – peas/corn/swan pellets/calci worms/oats etc. (thankfully most people don’t bring bread). She seems possibly hormonal as she started grabbing food from the cob that we had given him (dandelion leaves). Just wondering why she’d be doing this now as it’s not nest-building time.

[Swan Expert]

Hi Chris

Great question. The female swan is exhibiting normal swan behavior. Swans will tidy their environment. We have seen swans completely remove dead debris from a hedge of bushes. This cleaning not only keeps the area free from debris, but gives the swans something to occupy their time. The Regal Swan

[Chris – Newcastle]

Thanks for the reply. This is the first year we’ve really got close to and ‘made friends’ with any swans. It’s the first year a pair has successfully nested and produced cygnets in our park and because of lockdown and working from home we’ve been going much more than usual so it’s been really interesting to see mute swan behaviour. I’d say spending time with these beautiful animals has helped to keep us sane over this difficult 18 months.

[Swan Expert]

Hi Chris

You are very welcome. Yes, swans have such calming effects. Enjoy! The Regal Swan

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