there's a lonely swan in a pond and i want to help it

hi all,

i live in gravesend in kent.

at my local pond there is a single swan in there, it looks really lonely and i cannot help but feel the need to help it. i fed it some kibbles to try and keep the little guy healthy, and stayed with him for abit.

not far away, maybe 40 metres away, are the rest of the swans, 20+ of them, at the river thames.

i have tried to entice the lonely swan to come to me and i lure it back to the thames with food so it can rejoin its friends but it looks uncertain and about leaving the pond. theres no clear way for him to get out with its little legs its got. but i do remember other swans who are so eager to come to me, even walking up to me, once followed me from the pond all the way to the thames, and there i threw the food in the river so it swims for it and joins its friends.

not this poor little one.

here's a pic of the swan at the moment. i want to help it and feel helpless, i dont know what to do?

i emailed my local council but they never respond. what else can i do? shall i contact RSPB? the swans been alone all by itself for a few days now.

thanks

  • ' It may have lost its mate, or may yet to have one. '

    i have been feeding these ducks for many years, the swans always seem to be around the pier and hardly the pond.
    once i saw a couple in the pond and they both got out to follow me as i lured it back to the pier to join the other swans (lured by food).
    but this one is reluctant or seems unsure or scared. its all alone in that pond and not with the others. did it fly there? swans are social animals and need to be around others, especially if its to find a mate - he's the only one in that pond!
    i'm about to go out again now to see how its doing.

    these birds are used to human contact as families come to feed them with bread. i come to feed them with kibbles as excess bread is bad for the swans and ducks.

  • If you are concerned for the welfare of the swan, try contacting The Swan Sanctuary

  • the lonely swan is still there.
    my gut and instinct tells me this just isnt right.
    i think it probably wondered off and ended up in that pond. i dont think its able to get out.
    it cant mate or procreate if its on its own with no swans!
    all its brothers and sisters are just 20 metres down the path where the thames is!

    i tried to lure it again but it just doesnt seem interested, too busy gobbling up the mouldy whole bread loaf some idiot threw in there. i'm starting to worry for the poor guy
  • if it lost its mate, would it then decide that 'ah, i need some space', leave its mates and trot off to the pond?

    excuse me for not being a bird expert, i'm just listening to my gut at this point. you think its acting on its own accord?
  • There is a local RSPB group in the Gravesend area. If you are still worried about the Swan, perhaps you might like to contact the group by using the 'Contact Us' link on their website. You might be able to arrange for someone to meet you there, socially distanced of course, and have a look at the Swan together. As others have mentioned here, I think you do not need to worry about the Swan, but chatting with an experienced birder in person while both of you are watching the Swan might set your mind at rest. Here is the website for that local Gravesend RSPB group:
    www.rspbgravesend.org.uk/.
  • What makes it unable to get out of the pond anyway? If it really can't, is it fair to try to lure it out? If it's legs are too short, as you say, how would your presence and food offering make them longer? Observe and enjoy, but leave it alone!
  • i have written to the RSPB, swan sanctuary and my local council - and none of them have replied.
    the swan is still there and its been entirely on its own in the same pond for 3 weeks. this just doesnt sit right with me.
    i'm tempted to move it myself but dont want watchers to start shouting or pointing the finger making accusations of animal cruelty, dunno what else to do.
    i'll see it tomorrow and feed it kibbles to ensure its eating something healthy. practically all other members of the public here havent got a clue how to feed swans, throwing entire loafs of bread at them. there's mouldy bread in the pond and bits of rubbish floating in places :(
  • a_j, Please, please, please contact your LOCAL RSPB group, but since such groups are not meeting at the moment, please give them a little time to get back to you. I posted their website with their 'contact us' link in my post earlier on this thread; just scroll back to find it. And please do not worry about that Swan. Chances are that it is perfectly fine and just prefers to be on its own or perhaps the others have shunned it. Also, congratulations about not feeding bread to the Swan, but it is possible the Swan is happy to have your food all to itself and the fact that you are feeding it might be encouraging it to stay in that pond all on its own! We just do not know! Birds and animals, like humans, have their own individual characters and we should not be moving them around simply because we feel they would be better off somewhere that we think they should be! Not to mention that you might need a special licence to do something like moving a Swan--they are the Queen's property and it may be that only the official Swan-uppers are permitted to handle them--I do not know.

  • Amazingly, i saw a second swan in that pond today! so thankfully it's not lonely anymore. i hope they enjoy each others company