As I began forming my attachment to swans along my walking route, I started to follow people on social media who had a similar interest and who posted about the swans they saw regularly. On Instagram I
followed swans.and.cygnets and watched parents build the nest and raise their cygnets on both a big and small pond. Mom Swan disappeared earlier this year and once the cygnets left to start their own
lives, there was a week or so that Dad swan also went missing.
the.swan.rescuer on Instagram (aka Danni Rogers) shares his work and passion saving – or trying to save – swans who are tangled in fishing line or hooked, swans that are shot, cygnets that just wander too far and need help returning to the family, and many crash landings that require recovery before release. He even tried to save his beloved Ben and Jen’s eggs this year, to no avail, then lost the pair as well.
And the website swanlife.com requires some digging around but has amazing information, observations, and photos by Mark Nicolaides. I ordered his book of the same name and was not disappointed. I’ve done my share of academic reading about cygnus olor, but I’ve also learned so much about swans’ nature and behaviours from these and other people around the world through social media, but what has really amazed me is how attached I get to these distant animals.
I miss Mom Swan even though I never met her. I was worried about Dad Swan until his return. And I certainly mourned the losses experienced by Danni and Mark. These accounts and others are in the Resources section of the website. If you want to join the highs and lows I encourage you to give them a follow!