Today at the TCAAP WVA, I Saw Cygnets

Swan Family DSC_3091, a photo by Mully410 * Images on Flickr.

I got out to the TCAAP Wildlife Viewing Area this morning to try again at the bluebird nest. I quickly got distracted by the swan family.

This is my first siting of their cygnets this year. Looks like four of them. They are really far away so this shot is nearly a 100% crop.

At one point, both swans flew off and joined two other swans in the air. They left the four cygnets to fend for themselves for about 10 minutes.

No doubt, I'll keep an eye on them this summer. In 2008, they raised five or six successfully. In 2009, I think they had two grow to adulthood. Last year, they started with two but neither grew up as far as I could tell. One day they were there, the next day they weren't.