THE first cygnet hatched today 3 May 2011 at 7.45am at Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset, nearly two weeks earlier than usual. And if a 600-year-old legend is to be believed, the hatching signifies an early summer. If the swans are right, we could be in for a hot May.
Over 1,000 cygnets will hatch over the next six weeks at the swannery, based on Chesil Beach at Abbotsbury. There are approximately 900 swans and 150 nests at the world’s only managed colony of wild mute swans.
The cygnet, named ‘Sunny’ by Abbotsbury Swannery staff. His parents are Philip and Annabelle, who had been nesting together for 5 years. Sadly Philip died early last week and now mum has 3 cygnets to look after on her own with 4 eggs yet to hatch. The staff has put her and her young family in a separate enclosure to make sure she feels secure.
‘Annabelle is coping really well without her partner Phillip, because she’s such an experienced mother and she looks very happy with her young,’ explained Head Swanherd Dave Wheeler.
‘The high temperatures in March encouraged the swans to nest very early. The Met Office said it was the driest March for a century and 6 April had the highest temperature on record,’ Dave added.
Usually the cygnets hatch in the second or third week in May – this year is the second earliest date ever recorded since the swannery began 600 years ago. The Benedictine monks who began the swannery believed that the day the first cygnet hatched signalled the first day of summer.
Warm winds from Spain and France have pushed temperatures over 20C in many places across the UK during April. The legend could have science on its side as the Met Office predicts that mild weather will continue well into May.
‘This is a lovely time of year down at the swannery. It’s wonderful being able to get so close to watch the eggs hatching and the parents rearing their young,’ said Dave Wheeler.
‘The swans usually mate for life and we know every couple at the swannery. It’s great seeing the same pairs rearing their new cygnets. Now that one has hatched this usually sets the others off, so there will be loads of little ones soon. There are over 100 nests and there are an average of six eggs in each nest so it’s a busy time.’
The swans return to the swannery year after year to nest and raise their young. Female swans, called pens, start laying eggs from when they are three years old and can go on until they are 20.
Each pen lays an average of six eggs up to a maximum of 13 (the record for Abbotsbury is 12).
The cygnets will hatch over the next six weeks into June. Visitors can walk safely among the nests while hundreds of baby swans are hatching out on to the paths. This tremendous spectacle is one of the highlights of the English summer.
The Swannery is open to the public and visitors can see the swans on their nests and take part in the twice-daily mass feedings. For information about the swannery and the cygnet’s hatching visit the website http://www.abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk
