Community effort helps reunite swan family

A community rescue effort involving residents, young canoeists and wildlife volunteers has helped reunite a swan family after five cygnets were swept over a town weir.

Local residents spotted the cygnets alone on the River Avon after they were washed over the weir on the morning of 7th May and attempted to rescue them alongside young people, before specialist volunteers from Bath Swan Rescue were called to assist.

The five cygnets were described as cold and exhausted and were taken into care after being rescued, with an appeal launched to help locate the adult swans.

The following day, calls from local boys led to the discovery of the parent swans with their remaining two cygnets, allowing volunteers to carry out a reunion.

Volunteer Amy Lovell from Bath Swan Rescue said the family were ‘incredibly lucky’.

“They are incredibly vulnerable at that age and the fact they weren’t predated upon during the hours they were alone is rare,” she said.

“We went out the next day first thing and reunited the family. It went perfectly. The parents heard their chirps and came over immediately. The area was dense with nettles but we were able to put the cygnets, who’d enjoyed their bed and breakfast, into a long reach net and lower them back to their parents. The parents were overjoyed and took the cygnets back up to the nest where they were happily preening when we left.

“The male gave us a head bob and honk once we handed the cygnets back, which is a familiar greeting seen amongst swans that can often be translated as a way of thanks towards humans.

“We cannot thank the community enough for enabling us to make this possible. It was very moving for us watching them together and knowing these little lives are getting the shot in the wild that they deserve, all thanks to kind strangers who sought help for them.”

To help prevent similar incidents, the group has asked residents not to feed the swans near the weir.

Amy added, “We would encourage locals to please not feed the family right next to the weir and to feed further up instead, to decrease the chances of this happening again.

“We will also be touching base with the appropriate bodies about some preventative measures that might be able to be installed.”