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Trust – Regaining Trust

January 19th, 2015 | Posted by LadyNerkle1 in Trust - Regaining Trust - (Comments Off on Trust – Regaining Trust)

It Can Take Time to Develop Trust with your Swans.
We Know the Swans in these Images Very Well.
We Feel Safe Getting Close to Them.

TRUST TAKES TIME.

Trust – Regaining Trust

Swan Trust

The Lower you Sit, the Closer they will Come. Swan Trust

Getting to Hand Feed Swans is a Fun Interaction.
Swan Trust
Romaine Lettuce is a Favorite Treat.
Swan Trust

Only One of the Two Males will Hand Feed.  We Raised him.
Swan Trust
Same Swan while Trusted Friend Stands.
Swan Trust

Swans are Wary of Things Taller or Over Head.Swan Trust

Patience and Staying Calm.
Swan Trust
Do this Carefully.

 Be Sure the Swans are NOT being Aggressive.Swan Trust

Our Cob Like to Bite Boots… ??
Swan Trust
We Question – is this Affection or Aggression..  ???
Swan Trust
GET TO KNOW YOUR SWANS PERSONALITIES.

Hand Feeding Swan

Swans ALL have Different Personalities.
Their Behavior will Vary Throughout the Year.. 

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Working with a New Swan – At First DO NOT Make Eye Contact.

Eye Contact May Feel Threatening to a New Swan.Swan Trust

TRUST Starts to Develop
When the Swan Makes Eye Contact.Swan Trust Eye Contact

Then Sitting Quiet and Still.  Offer a Favorite Treat.
Swan Trust
Sugarless Cereals that Float or Graham Cracker Squares.
Swan TrustSwan Trust

Trust Hand Feeding Swan

Swans Learn Who They Can Trust. Swan TrustSwan Trust

Mute Swan Trust                 Sit Quietly – if She Feels Safe She will Come Closer..
Mute Swan Trust

       SWANs AVOIDING US..
No Matter How Hard we Tried
We Could NOT Get Close to these Swans.

Swans Avoiding People

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Swans Look Forward to Favorite TreatsHand Feeding Swan Trust
Some Visits are Weeks Apart..  They Remember.

Some Swans will Hand Feed.. Some will Stay Just Out of Reach.
Swan Trust
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Swans Usually Trust the People who Regularly Feed them.
There are Exceptions.. All Swans are Different.
Swan Trust
It is January – “George” is Hormonal !
He is Trusting Rob to Hand-Feed “Hannah.” 
Swan TrustSwan Trust

It is Winter – “Meadow” is Becoming Hormonal.  So Far So GOOD !
Swan Trust Next Visit I was Chased.. I Had a White Shirt On.. BIG Mistake ! !
We were Still Learning.. NO White in the Spring !
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TRUST is Helpful when Swans are Nesting. 
There are Times when you will want to Check their Eggs.
Swan Trust

She Knows Us Very Well…
But, a Nesting Female will Still be a Bit Nervous.
Move Slowly – Speak to her Calmly..
Swan Trust
Daily Visits to their Nest – Trust – Not All Swans will Allow this.
Swan Trust
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Swans have Good Memories.  Who they Can Trust.Swan Trust

TRUST !
Swan Trust These Cobs have Left the Safety of their Pond to Visit with Us.  Trust.Swan Trust
This is TRUST..  SO Cute ! !  Sleeping at my Feet.
Sleepy Swan Trust

Swans Usually Sleep VERY Lightly.. 

Sitting Close-by and Napping is Trust !
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A Man and His Swan Enjoying a Walk-Swimming Together.Swan Trust

The Cob below is a Different Swan.  Some Swans will Walk with You.
Swan Trust

This Young Female would Follow-Walk with Rob.. Swan Trust

This Female Liked to Walk with Her Friend.
Swan Trust ******
Swan Trust

******
Swan Trust This became Part of their Routine when we would Visit.
Swan Trust ******
Swan Trust
“Boris” would Walk with Me.  I Miss him.
Swan Trust
“George” was Different – He Would “Stalk” me..
Swan Trust
There was NO Trust between Us… Just Respecting his “Space.”
Swan TrustWe were Always on Guard with “George.”  Keeping a Barrier between Us.
Swan TrustI Miss “George.” – He was ALL Mute Cob.
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THINGS THAT MESS-UP TRUST.

Catching Your Swan.  They DO NOT Like to be Caught. Catching a Swan

They will Likely Stay Away from You for a While.Swan Trust Broken

We Caught this Cob to Rinse his One Eye..
Swan Trust
He Stayed on the Far Side of his Pond for Several Visits.
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We Needed this Hormonal Sire in a Safe Place for a Bit.
He was NOT Happy.  Always Place him in the Shade.Swan Carrier

Having Control of the Sire makes it Much Safer to Pinion the Cygnets.
Swan Trust Once you Have their Dam you have the Cygnets.
Swan Trust Once the Cygnets are All Safely Back on their Pond..  Release their Sire.
Swan Trust This Swan Family Avoided Us the Rest of our Summer Visits.
Swan Trust For the Rest of the Summer we did NOT have Their Trust..
We would Only Visit every so Often – Not Regularly.
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We had to Rescue “Handsome” and “Harmony’s” Injured Cygnet.
For Weeks the Parent Swans Avoided Us.Swan Trust

Every Time We Went to See “Meadow’s” Veterinarian,
We Lost Some Trust with this Cygnet.  Transport Swan

All his Vet Visits, Treatments, Several Surgeries, Recovery took 9 Months.
Daily Wound Soaking – Dressing Changes.. All Necessary.
Swan TrustThen in a Few Days We Were OK Again.  Regained Trust.
Swan Trust
Best Friends Again. His Right Foot is Wrapped.Swan Trust

“Meadow” would Routinely Walk with us.
Swan Trust Daily Wound Care became Routine.  Preening is Acceptance.
Swan Trust
With Calm NON-Threatening Visits his Trust Returned.
Swan Trust************************************************************************

Being Transported to a NEW Home is Scary.Transport Swan

Once we had All the Young Females Moved – They are Happy.
Swans Trust************************************************************

The Young Swan Below was Not Happy when We Moved him to his New Home.
It was Weeks before “Meadow” would Come Near Us.
Swan Trust
We Returned after a Few Days to a Very Unhappy Cygnet.
Swan Broken Trust

We Waited as Long as Possible that Day.. He Stayed Away from Us.
Swan TrustWe Went to Visit Several Days Later. We were NOT Forgiven.Swan Trust“Meadow” was Pretending Rob was Not There.
Swan TrustIF a Cygnet is Capable of Sulking – “Meadow” was Sulking.
Swan Trust“Meadow” was Very Lonely – He Felt Abandoned.
We were his Family for Months.  Now he is Alone.
Swan TrustFINALLY a “Hello” Nod.. Friends Again ?? 
Swan Trust

Once we Brought the Two Females to be his Companions,
Swan Trust
“Meadow” was Happy to Visit with Us.
We were Finally Forgiven and Trusted Again.
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When we had to Move “Hannah” to her New Home.
Swan Trust She did not Understand for Weeks.
Swan Trust Rob Sat Low on the Pond Edge and Talked to “Hannah”
Swan Trust
Another Visit Sitting Low – Offering a Favorite Treat.
Swan Trust Yes, she is Accepting a Treat…
Swan Trust
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It Feels Good to be Trusted.   Hand Feeding Swan Trust

The Routine Treats HELP with Trust – the “White Bag Effect.”
Swan Trust
Sharing Time and Favorite Food Treats Helps with Trust.
Swan Trust
The Swans we would Routinely Visit KNOW the White Bags have Goodies.
Swan Trust An Afternoon Visit on the Grassy Lawn.. The Dam is Watching Me. (Cute)
Swan Trust Now it is Time to Get them Comfortable with the Catch Fencing.
Swan Trust
Regular Non-Threatening Visits Made Working with this Swan Family Easier.
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OH NO ! !  Our Cob had Walked to a Neighbor’s Pond..
We Needed to Move this Male back to his Home Pond.Wayward Swan Trust

“Meadow” Liked the Large Nearby Pond.. We Needed to “Bait” Him.

Having his Trust was Important.  IT WORKED..  Took 10 Days.  

We Caught this WayWard Cob and Returned him to his Home Pond.

After Several Visits.. Just Sitting Quietly by their Pond..
The Cob was Back to Visiting with Us.Swan Trust

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This Young Swan lost her Sister Companion.
She went into “Survival Mode” and Stayed Across the Pond.
Last Time We Visited She was Happy and Playing Near my Feet. Lone Female Swan

A Predator Killed her Sister.. She was Scared.. Swan Lost Trust

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This Young Female was Moved Five Times in One Month.

She Avoided Us for Days.. Finally She came to Eat. Swan Trust

We Spent Time with Her Every Afternoon.
Once She Trusted Me Again,
She Climb Out of the Pond and Sat Down Beside Me. 

This was a Very Special Moment.. Acceptance and Trust.
Swan Trust

Trust is Mutual.  It Takes Time.Swan Trust

We Visited these Brood Swans Frequently for Several Years.
They Trusted Me to a Point.
Swan TrustOne Afternoon, I Got TOO Close.. Moving a Twig.
After that “Handsome” Kept me at a Distance.
I was NOT as Welcome by the Nest Site.  I Lost his Trust.
Swan TrustOnce their Cygnets were Out on the River..
“Handsome” Brought them for us to See.  Trust had Returned.
Swan TrustThere were Only a Few Visits with their Cygnets.
In a Few Days they will be Gone.   So Sad. 

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A Same Sex Male Pair -Three Years Old.
“Smile Boys.”Swan TrustWe Always Enjoyed our Visits with these Cobs.
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Swan Trust

This Information is a Work in Progress…..
As I learn more I will add to this information..
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Compiled by (C) L.M.Sweger   UpDate  JUNE  2021
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SWAN Angel Wings