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Swans with young in June

The mute swans breed on the lake every year, usually raising 5 or 6 cygnets, but sad to say, between 1999 and 2001 most have not survived due to predation. However, there is a healthy population of swans along the whole Saltersford valley. You may be interested that one of the female swans breeding here for the past few years came from Leamington Spa, (about 50 miles south, as the swan flies) where there is a large population on the River Avon. Have a look for the yellow leg tag on the female which holds this information in code. The male, called a "cob" is on the left and the female "pen" is on the right; you can tell the difference in the sexes of mature swans as the cob usually has a noticeably larger black knob at the base of the bill.

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