Seeing Swans

I often see black swans, usually in pairs, as I walk along the river. This morning one swooped down near me, with her wings outspread, showing their white tips.

Lone swan

She seemed a little agitated, I wondered where her mate was, and whether she was hoping some passerby might feed her.

On my way home I saw what I suspect was her mate, lying dead on the footpath near my home. Possibly he had been hit by a car, although swans usually stay away from the road. I rang the City Council who said someone would come and remove the body, and a few hours later a man turned up with a shovel and a black rubbish bag.

Removing the dead swan

I always understood that swans mate for life, and learned recently that white swans have been known to take another mate after one has died. Apparently Australian black swans, from which ours are descended, are particularly unfaithful, with one in seven eggs unwittingly reared by a male who is not the father.

I hope “my” swan finds a new mate
with whom she can interrelate