Mixed fortunes for the Three Brooks cygnets

Nesting swan at the Three Brooks Lake, Bradley Stoke

Journal readers have been sending in their photos of the arrival of cygnets to a pair of mute swans at The Lake in the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve.

The swans’ nest was sited at the side of the lake, close to the stone footbridge leading into the reserve from Juniper Way.

Five eggs were laid in the nest and, following an incubation period of around 35 days, five fluffy grey cygnets duly arrived at the end of April and they were soon seen out on the lake swimming with their proud parents.

Sadly, three of the new arrivals disappeared a few days later, the rumour being that they perished after falling down the weir at the far end of the lake.

Further perils await the surviving cygnets when they learn to fly in about four months time. Crash landings and collisions with overhead power cables often lead to fatalities at this crucial time, according to an informative article on the Fairford Swan Aid website.

Many thanks to Steve Gibbard and Annette Rumbelow for sending in photos of the newly-hatched cygnets.

We’ve put their photos, together with some of our own, in The Journal’s PicasaWeb gallery: album; slideshow.

Readers with more information to share about Bradley Stoke’s resident swan family are invited to leave a comment on this story. Photos may sent to the email address on our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Swans and cygnets at the Three Brooks Lakes, bradley Stoke

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