Swans & Swan Cam

Flying practice is happening regularly on the moat, with the three remaining cygnets stretching their wings daily. Fingers crossed that one or two may leave home in the coming month or so.

The misty mornings have been providing fantastic photo opportunities around the moat, so I hope some of you have managed to capture our beautiful swans in the autumn light.

If you’re visiting during the festive season and can’t spot the swans on the moat, do check the willow bridge island – they seem to enjoy spending time there at this time of year.

In early October, the moat was a hive of activity, with the cygnets stretching their wings and learning to fly. I was away from the Palace for a week, and it would appear that during that time, three of the cygnets decided to leave home – with some stopovers around Wells along the way. All is well, and all three have successfully left the moat – though I believe there were a few incidents where my colleagues had to walk them back along Silver Street and Moat Walk. It’s lovely to share the experience of walking along the moat, ushering a cygnet in front of you! At the time of writing, we have three cygnets left on the moat, but watching Grace and Gabriel, they both seem quite keen to encourage the remaining cygnets to join their siblings soon.

Recently, during several of my swan talks, I have been asked what to do if someone comes across a cygnet. There are two answers to this, depending on where they are. If they are in a place that could be dangerous, such as by a busy road or in the bus depot (yes, there has been a cygnet in the bus depot before), and you are concerned about them, please contact the Palace. Generally, one of the team should be able to come out and move them to safety. If you come across a cygnet on your travels around Wells, and they are in an open space, such as Palace fields or similar, they have probably just taken a rest from flying. After resting for a while, they usually take flight again and either return to the moat or continue on their journey. If they are in a safe space, we would generally leave them to find their own way – the less close interaction they have, the better it is for them as they venture out into the world.

Our swan family is loving the summer holidays so far and enjoying all the attention from the visitors to the Palace and Moat. Gabriel seems to be taking a little time for himself over the last week or so, while Grace spends most of her time with the ever-growing cygnets. It is interesting to watch them all at the bell – several of the cygnets are fantastic at bell ringing now, and Grace seems to just sit back and watch them.

When not feeding at the bell or from friendly visitors, the cygnets can be seen dipping their heads down into the moat to find weeds under the water – usually with their bottoms up in the air!

I have heard some practising flying along the moat in the last few weeks, so I have no doubt this will become more frequent over the coming months. Do look out for some flying practice along the moat – it is quite spectacular when the cygnets all come down the moat flapping their wings in a long line. The sound they make is quite distinctive – I usually hear them before I see them!

Our cygnets seem to be growing daily – I am sure they double in size over a weekend. All six cygnets are doing well, and I am delighted to report that two or three of them have already been shown how to ring the bell at the Gatehouse for food. One is very determined to ring the bell and pulls the rope with some force!

For anyone who missed our social media post in early May of staff and volunteers drawing the names for the cygnets, the names of this year’s six cygnets are: Theo, Willow, Susie, Tulip, Dopey, and Eira. Thank you for all of the name suggestions.

As we move further into summer, you may notice that Grace and Gabriel are losing some of their feathers. If you walk around the moat regularly, you’ll probably start to notice an increased number of stray feathers or even piles of feathers. This is due to the annual moulting that adult swans go through. They will lose and replace a number of their feathers over the coming weeks. They tend to moult one at a time. As swans use their wings in defence if they feel threatened, by moulting one at a time, they ensure that one swan is still able to protect the other. Do look out for the swans moulting – you will be able to spot who is moulting as their wings will appear to be much smaller than usual.

Springtime cygnets! I am pleased to report that we have 7 beautiful fluffy cygnets that hatched on Saturday, 20th April. Well done to all of the eagle-eyed Swan Cam watchers who contacted us to report the first glimpse of cygnets on Saturday lunchtime. I was glued to Swan Cam myself on Saturday afternoon, trying to work out how many had hatched, and was delighted to arrive at work on Sunday morning to be greeted with all seven of them on the nest. They took their first swim in the moat on Sunday lunchtime and have since mastered the art of getting in and out of the moat. Returning to the nest after the first swim is always a little nerve-racking to watch. They have been exploring the moat over the last week and have already grown! They will spend less time on the nest over the next week or so, and I am afraid that Swan Cam will no longer be available later in May as our swan family spend most of their time on or around the moat.

Those who have visited the Palace in the last week may have noticed one or two of last year’s cygnets or juveniles on Palace Green. They have both left the moat several times over the last couple of weeks but both end up returning. Gabriel is doing his best to keep reminding them they need to leave, and we are closely monitoring their location. It is hoped that they will leave over the coming days, but if not, then advice and perhaps intervention are the next plan of action.

The cygnet naming competition is also live (as of Friday 26^th April), so please send us your cygnet name suggestions on our social media to enter – Good luck!

Two eggs were spotted on the 6^th of March. A few more were seen the following week, so there are at least 4 eggs. However, it was very difficult to determine the exact number, as Grace is very good at hiding the eggs to protect them. Now, she is incubating them and rarely leaves the nest. But there definitely are eggs!

In the coming weeks, Grace will spend the majority of her time sitting on the nest, incubating the eggs. This process usually takes 35 to 41 days. She will only leave the nest briefly to drink, feed, and clean herself. Gabriel tends to stand guard on the nest during these periods. Looking back over recent years, we believe this may be one of the earliest times that eggs have been laid. Therefore, I anticipate that ‘cygnet watch’ may start around mid-April!

Those who have visited the Palace in recent weeks may have noticed that we still have two of last year’s cygnets hanging out on Palace Green. They should hopefully embark on their next adventures in the coming weeks. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we don’t end up like last year with both years’ cygnets. I would like to make a plea: please do not feed the large cygnets if you visit in the coming weeks. With less food available, they are more likely to fly off in search of a better food source. This is, of course, what should happen, which means that when the eggs hatch, the young cygnets will be nice and safe, and Grace and Gabriel can concentrate on them instead of having to worry about the older cygnets.

Please keep an eye on our social media over the coming weeks, as any updates will be posted. Alternatively, feel free to chat with any of the team members when you visit over Easter.

I hope you are enjoying Swan Cam this year. Have you seen Grace turn the eggs? Keep an eye out for this gentle movement as she rearranges them in the nest.

The past week or so has seen Gabriel starting nest-building for this year. Nest construction typically spans several weeks, and we are pleased to announce that Swan Cam is up and running earlier than ever this year. We hope this early setup allows you to watch Gabriel completing the nest over the coming weeks. Currently, Grace visits the area daily but doesn’t spend much time at the nest. However, Gabriel dedicates some time most days to adding more to the nest.