They grow up so fast — David Taylor - Master Jeweller

25th January 2023

For quite a few years now I have been visiting Tablelands Swamps to observe the Black Swans.

They breed from February to September and I have hoped to one day photograph some cygnets growing up.

Juvenile on the right, Tablelands Swamp December 2020

In previous years I had noticed juvenile birds from their brownish colour and darker eyes but I was yet to see any young cygnets.

Late 2022 and I got to view my first relatively newborn baby swans. For the next couple of months I returned to view them as often as I could.

Black Swans partner for life and this couple had produced 4 cygnets.

Adult Swans clean themselves by splashing water over their bodies.

The young cygnets with no real wings formed use another technique to wet themselves for cleaning and cooling off.

They spin them selves upside down. It is very funny to watch. Swans seem to spend a lot time cleaning themselves.

This family has a small island of land in the swamp near the shore that they regularly visit to rest on out of the water.

If I did not move too much the birds seemed content to let me watch them from nearby on the shore. The adult birds always however seemed to have an eye on me.

Some of the cygnets are darker in colour and I am wondering if this indicates sex. If you know please email me.

By the end of December 2022 the young birds were well and truly starting to form wings and increase in size.

Late December and it was also noticeable that the young birds were all starting to turn the same colour. No longer were some distinctly lighter than the others.

In just a few months those tiny little swans had gone from swimming in front of me without a care to now resting with one eye on me as their parents do.

Long after these birds are adults I will still have the photos of them to remind me of how cute they once were.