Swan family Robinson showed up on May 18th, 2024, 65 days ago, see photo below. The Signets, baby swans, have to feed themselves right from the beginning. The parents will help find food, but they do not feed their babies directly. Photo below was our first meeting. Mom had soften up the food pellets so that the signets could eat.
By the 2nd week, there is a 22% mortality rate for the babies.
We lost one of the five signets early on, guessing the signets were a week or so old, when they first arrived and 5 became 4 in a 2nd week or 3rd week.
Signets start to fly around the 100 day mark. Once they can take care of themselves, Mom and Dad tell them to hit the road! So by 6-8 months of age, most young swans are on their own.
Back to the babies or young signets. Their wing feathers are growing nicely with the tail feathers moving in unison.
The signets have started wagging their tails like Mom and Dad to show happiness or excitement.
And then there is the baby with the some sort of birth defect or handicap.
Thought she was not going to make it as she had trouble swimming early on, but still here!
Below is a picture of her condition, she stores her webbed or palmated foot as shown most of the time.
She has figured out how to swim and move around, just like the others.
Only thing I noticed is when she gets excited with the foot up, it shakes and flickers around. Not sure what happens when under water.
More thoughts on litter…
Don’t Throw Cigarette Butts In the Sand
Smoke EM
And Pinch EM
Then Put Them Back
In the Freakin Pack