Wetland Nest

This is a report on another visit to the nearby wetland to check out the swan family. Things are going well. The swan couple have certainly settled on six eggs because that's still the number. One of the swans (it could be the male) is keeping the eggs warm for the chemical and biological miracles to happen inside the eggs. For about a month these eggs have to be kept warm around 38 degrees I think for the cygnets to form and grow. The six eggs took a number of weeks to be laid and to ensure that all cygnets hatched at the same time proper heating over them did not start until the mystery number (6) was reached. It was a busy time for the swan couple to share in. From what I now know, both parents share the incubation period (in the work of keeping the eggs warm). You can view a video of the action on this day HERE including a moment when a Eurasian Coot ventures onto the nest. The accompanying music is composed and played by my brother Phil. 

Six Eggs Now

Each time I visit the nest seems to have increased in size and in height. I am glad of that because if there was a good fall of rain the water level of the wetland would rise over 20cm and possibly affect the lower eggs with loss of heat. Just occasionally the brooding swan stands and for about 10 seconds I have a chance to see how many eggs have been laid. I took a quick picture of this and I am confident that the swan couple have laid six eggs now. That's an impressive number so here's hoping that each one survives and hatches next Spring. Hopefully there'll be six little cygnets. I have stitched together another wetland video with an emphasis on this nest HERE. There are three quite loud bird calls in the video. Two are made by a Black Swan and the other from a Moorhen. 

Can you see six? Is there possibly a seventh?