Protectionism

Quite understandably the cob (male swan) on one of the local gravel pit lakes is very protective and will hurtle over the entire lake when I take the dogs down to the bank for a drink.

Last year his pen (female swan) partner who had been sitting on the nest suddenly disappeared. Presumably a fox was responsible.

Hopefully we might have some cygnets this year.

I did know what a baby swan was called but have to say I had either forgotten or never knew what adult males and females were called. I guess in the pre-Google age, I would never have bothered to get out an encyclopedia to look this up. Technology has many benefits but there again, if I didn't get off my backside and take a daily walk, I wouldn't have needed to know in the first place!

Oh and by the way a group of swimming swans is a "bevy", a flying group a "wedge".