There was a swan jam on my way to work today — this pair were installed at the retention pond at the rear of our building to discourage a large flock of Canada geese from sticking around all summer, and of course they have a nesting site that their trainer built for them with bales of hay and bits of straw. A large work crew disturbed them today with a big sod-laying project, and both adult swans and their little cygnets took off for freedom.

Problem was, they waddled all the way to the end of the parking lot and were headed up the bike path that, a  mile or so away, leads through a forest preserve. The work crew was trying to head them off, but they weren’t succeeding, since they were standing between the swans and their home in our retention pond, and the workers were flapping their bright yellow safety jackets, too.

When I came by, they had caused a considerable swan jam on the main road, plus there were several bicyclists that were stymied. Both adult swans were in a very defensive-looking posture, with their necks curled up as if to strike and their back and tail feathers all ruffled. The little cygnets huddled in a downy clump under their mother, obviously frightened and confused.

I called the building office and was told that the police were on the way, the swans’ trainer was on the way, and some building people were on the way to get the sod crew to back off and let the swans head back to their pond.

I should mention that the swans and their fuzzy little progeny have been the source of much excitement and comment at the office, so it was Topic 1 this morning. Apparently, it got a little out of hand down at the scene of the swan jam – people getting out of cars to try to help herd them – but eventually the trainer got them calmed down and led them back to the pond, very slowly. The little cygnets must have been tuckered out, because it’s a long way for their little feet to piddle-paddle.

After about an hour, an email went around the office with the subject line:

THE SWANS ARE SAFE AND BACK IN THEIR POND!!!

A general cheer went up.

After work, I drove over by the pond side of the building to observe them. They were swimming around contentedly, and then the parents made a beeline for their feeding station in the corner of the pond, not far from where I was standing. A couple of uninvited guests were there – a pair of Canada geese that the swans tolerate. Normally, there are a dozen or more adult geese by now, and almost as many goslings. It got pretty messy out in the parking lot when they decided to go on stately parade, so the building decided a pair of swans might be the thing.

I noticed that the swans’ necks are long enough to get into the feed tub, but the geese are SOL – their necks are too short. They had to settle for the bits of feed scattered about after the mother swan was finished feeding. She settled herself on her nest on the one dud egg that’s still there, and the little goslings all crept up under her wings on one side and were either trying to get warm, or eat bits of feed or bugs that were in her feathers, or both. They looked so cute stretching up to get under her wings.

Via: Flickr Title: Longnecks r best By: GinnyRED57
Originally uploaded: 25 May ’07, 6.44pm CDT PST