Swan Song meaning: Someone’s swan song is the last time that they do something for which they are famous, for example, the last time that an actor gives a performance in the theatre.
Little did I know that when I took this picture that those words would be so true.
Mute swans were a regular sight around here and especially around one of our lagoons.
They stayed all year round and people came there especially to feed them and they would eat out of your hand they were so tame.
I was talking to a gentleman from Asia one day and he had heard about them before he ever came to visits.
He was so delighted in being able to bring his family and feed the swans.
As this area is very bird conscious people knew not to feed them bread but would buy grains and chicken scratch for them to eat.
There was even a lady who came down every day and fed them and they knew her by sight.
As the lagoon was fairly large you didn’t see them all at once but there was about a dozen or so give or take a few.
When I first saw them they had young with them but the following year no young hatched.
What I heard later was as the mute swan was an invasive species that had been brought from Eurasia and that they (whoever the powers that be) were scrambling the eggs.
This was done so the eggs wouldn’t produce any offspring.
The pen or female would sit on them and when they didn’t hatch eventually abandon the nest.
Mute swans were accused of taking over habitat from the trumpeter and tundra swans and possibly even interbreeding with them.
So, over the years I took pictures of them and enjoyed their majestic stature.
I know I didn’t take enough pictures as they were always there and were almost like the mallard duck.
Pretty to see but fairly common.
Because… one day they just weren’t there.
Now you see them… now you don’t.
They disappeared one night into the darkness and have never returned.
There was a lot of speculation as to what happened but I don’t think we will ever get the true story.
All you had to do was to rattle some birdseed and they would magically appear.
Easy pickings for the taking.
There were no clues left behind.
No body’s or feathers were ever found.
Not a trace.
All I know is that you can’t take things for granted as you never know when they’ll be gone.
And… take lots of pictures when you can.
