A pair of nesting swans, beautiful creatures, white as a snow, graceful as a nature herself…we do get to see those every so often floating along the river that runs outside our office…this year we seem to have acquired new neighbours, that build their home right at the back of our building – meet Mr and Mrs Swan!
A new arrival caused a reasonably profound excitement of the local human population and we instantly started to love them and care about them and say “awwwww” watching every movement of the nesting beauty. Then in typical humanoid manner we set up a Big Brother show – put up a camera to watch the nest and linked it to the website. I’m going to share with you the link, as we certainly are very proud of the “next door’s”. Plus it is always a great joy to witness the birth of ugly ducklings that as it is well known, will eventually become the beautiful swans. Just like a fairy tale outside your window!
On technicality of the matter: please be warned that since the camera is actually a real time camera, you might find no swans captured at some moments. This is when they’re taken off to feed or swim around and fall out of the camera reach. Be patient and come back later – you might get lucky next time. Also the camera refreshes itself every 30 seconds, so save your fingers and wait for the next pic. I’ve also took a still picture of the swans, so that if you too impatient, you still can get an idea what our swans look like [*so you can recognise them if accidentally come across on the streets 
]
The Swan’s and their swanlets – Big Brother show 
* Please read below few facts about what a wonderful creatures the swans are (extracted from various sources):
Is it true that swans mate for life?
As a general rule this is true. If a mate is lost then the surviving mate will go through a grieving process like humans do, after which it will either stay where it is on its own, fly off and find a new stretch of water to live on (where a new mate may fly in and join it) or fly off and re-join a flock.
What time of year do swans breed?
The mute swan, which is the white swan most commonly seen in the British Isles, will normally mate at anytime from spring through to summer, with the cygnets being born anytime from May through to July.
How long do swans sit on their eggs?
After the nest has been built, which typically takes 2-3 weeks, the egg laying process begins with an egg being laid every 12-24 hours. Once all the eggs have been laid, which can take 2-3 weeks, they will all be incubated (ie sat on to start the growth process) at the same time with hatching usually 42 days (6 weeks) later.
How many eggs usually hatch out and how many of the cygnets usually survive to adulthood?
Swans hatch up to 10 eggs at a time with the expectation of losing several of them.
How long do the cygnets stay with their parents?
Typically 6 months.
Is it normal for the parents to be chasing their cygnets once they're several months old?
Absolutely. Once the cygnets are old enough to look after themselves the parents cut the parental ties with them and chase them away, sometimes quite aggressively.
Where do cygnets go when they leave their parents?
They normally join the first flock of swans they encounter where they usually stay until they mature when about 4 years old.
Is it true that all mute swans in the UK are owned by the Queen?
Yes, though she only exercises her prerogative right to them on the River Thames.
What is Swan Upping?
Swan Upping is the annual census of the swan population on stretches of the River Thames in the counties of Middlesex, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire which takes place during the third week of July each year.