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

The Lower you Sit, the Closer they will Come. 

Getting to Hand Feed Swans is a Fun Interaction.

Romaine Lettuce is a Favorite Treat.

Only One of the Two Males will Hand Feed.  We Raised him.

Same Swan while Trusted Friend Stands.

Swans are Wary of Things Taller or Over Head.

Patience and Staying Calm.

Do this Carefully.
 Be Sure the Swans are NOT being Aggressive.

Our Cob Like to Bite Boots… ??

We Question – is this Affection or Aggression..  ???

GET TO KNOW YOUR SWANS PERSONALITIES.

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.

TRUST Starts to Develop
When the Swan Makes Eye Contact.

Then Sitting Quiet and Still.  Offer a Favorite Treat.

Sugarless Cereals that Float or Graham Cracker Squares.

Swans Learn Who They Can Trust. 

                 Sit Quietly – if She Feels Safe She will Come Closer..

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

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Swans Look Forward to Favorite Treats
Some Visits are Weeks Apart..  They Remember.

Some Swans will Hand Feed.. Some will Stay Just Out of Reach.

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Swans Usually Trust the People who Regularly Feed them.
There are Exceptions.. All Swans are Different.

It is January – “George” is Hormonal !
He is Trusting Rob to Hand-Feed “Hannah.” 

It is Winter – “Meadow” is Becoming Hormonal.  So Far So GOOD !
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.

She Knows Us Very Well…
But, a Nesting Female will Still be a Bit Nervous.
Move Slowly – Speak to her Calmly..

Daily Visits to their Nest – Trust – Not All Swans will Allow this.

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Swans have Good Memories.  Who they Can Trust.

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

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.

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

This Young Female would Follow-Walk with Rob..

This Female Liked to Walk with Her Friend.
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This became Part of their Routine when we would Visit.
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“Boris” would Walk with Me.  I Miss him.

“George” was Different – He Would “Stalk” me..

There was NO Trust between Us… Just Respecting his “Space.”
We were Always on Guard with “George.”  Keeping a Barrier between Us.
I 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. 

They will Likely Stay Away from You for a While.

We Caught this Cob to Rinse his One Eye..

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.

Having Control of the Sire makes it Much Safer to Pinion the Cygnets.
Once you Have their Dam you have the Cygnets.
Once the Cygnets are All Safely Back on their Pond..  Release their Sire.
This Swan Family Avoided Us the Rest of our Summer Visits.
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.

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

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

“Meadow” would Routinely Walk with us.
Daily Wound Care became Routine.  Preening is Acceptance.

With Calm NON-Threatening Visits his Trust Returned.
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Being Transported to a NEW Home is Scary.

Once we had All the Young Females Moved – They are Happy.
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The Young Swan Below was Not Happy when We Moved him to his New Home.
It was Weeks before “Meadow” would Come Near Us.

We Returned after a Few Days to a Very Unhappy Cygnet.

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

Once we Brought the Two Females to be his Companions,

“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.
She did not Understand for Weeks.
Rob Sat Low on the Pond Edge and Talked to “Hannah”

Another Visit Sitting Low – Offering a Favorite Treat.
Yes, she is Accepting a Treat…

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It Feels Good to be Trusted.  

The Routine Treats HELP with Trust – the “White Bag Effect.”

Sharing Time and Favorite Food Treats Helps with Trust.

The Swans we would Routinely Visit KNOW the White Bags have Goodies.
An Afternoon Visit on the Grassy Lawn.. The Dam is Watching Me. (Cute)
Now it is Time to Get them Comfortable with the Catch Fencing.

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.

“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.

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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. 

A Predator Killed her Sister.. She was Scared.. 

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This Young Female was Moved Five Times in One Month.
She Avoided Us for Days.. Finally She came to Eat. 

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.

Trust is Mutual.  It Takes Time.

We Visited these Brood Swans Frequently for Several Years.
They Trusted Me to a Point.
One 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.
Once their Cygnets were Out on the River..
“Handsome” Brought them for us to See.  Trust had Returned.
There 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.”We Always Enjoyed our Visits with these Cobs.
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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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