Swan Release - Part 1

[Mike Farley]

The Swannery at Abbotsbury is one of the few places in the world where colonies of swans can be found. Normally the birds are very territorial and will fiercely defend a large area from intruders. They pair for life, so you will usually only see a couple of adults together and their cygnets during the summer months. The Swannery is located at the western end of the Fleet behind Chesil Beach and the conditions there are ideal for swans. With plenty of food available there is less reason for the swans to compete and they naturally nest in close proximity to each other.

Up to the Dissolution by Henry VIII there used to be a Benedictine monastery at Abbotsbury and the remains of the abbey can still be seen nearby in the village. The monks farmed the swans for their meat, although I have been informed that they do not make particularly good eating. In Mediaeval times there were religious rules about which days meat could and could not be eaten, but conveniently for the monks the flesh has a fishy taste and they did not consider it as meat. The swans were a ready source of protein and an alternative to fish on the many days of the year when meat was off limits. Apparently adult birds are too tough to eat, so it was the cygnets which went into the oven.

The earliest records show that the Swannery, which is the only managed colony of swans in the world, was in existence in 1393. It is likely that it existed well before then as the monastery was founded during the 11th century, dating back to before the Norman Conquest. After the Dissolution, the land was bought by Sir Giles Strangways and has been owned by his descendents for the last fifteen generations. Today the Swannery is a tourist attraction and it is many years since the last swan made it to the table.

My wife and I frequently visit the Swannery as it is located in a very attractive part of Dorset which we often go to. A few years ago we became friendly with the current swanherd and the last time we there on holiday there in October 2013 he told us about the forthcoming swan release. This is the time when the nearly adult cygnets are ringed. Some are with their parents on the Fleet, but others are in pens when it has become necessary to take special care of them for some reason. Occasionally cygnets are placed with foster parents, so you can see some impossibly large broods. They are all Mute Swans, which mainly swim on the water rather than fly. They are regularly fed and do not mind being in the pens. Indeed, after they are released they often return to the pen in the hope of getting a free meal.

We duly returned on the appointed day and my wife was invited to join the other volunteers to help with the release. Meanwhile, I took pictures as a photo essay of the occasion. These are not the usual camera club style of image and I doubt if any would do well in competition, but I did bring them to the club on 26 February for the "I Did It My Way" evening. For those who like to know this sort of thing, the camera used was a Canon EOS 7D with an EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens set to f/5.6.

The rest of the story follows in a series of posts which I'll put on the forum over the next few days.