Swanning on the River

Swan and cygnets on the River Kent

 Next morning the swans and their cygnets were gone and in their absence I noticed the safety barriers and signs chucked into the river, the habitat of these beautiful creatures.  Vandals at large. Below Stramongate Bridge, I came upon a family of swans, perhaps the one I found yesterday.  The adults' parenting skills were impressive.  One  would feed, its head beneath the water, whilst the other kept a look-out.  They swam before and behind their brood, and approaching the rough water of the weir, one adult set the course and the cygnets followed in the safe water he found for them.

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The cygnets were constantly preening, waterproofing their down, taking a feather and nibbling from base to tip to clean it, to keep slick those new feathers hidden in down.   A cygnet rubbed its head and bill over the preen gland at the base of its tail, then rubbed the oil off its head onto those tiny wings.   They were synchro-swimming,  often keeping the unity of the brood, diving together.  Sometimes a cygnet would rise on the water and flap its stubby little wings and waggle its tail, developing musculature.
Meadow sweet and greater willow-herb grew on the bank and bees were busy seeking nectar.
I read-up on the preen gland and reviewed the video I'd made of preening cygnets.  Is it instinct that leads them to find the preen gland and to know the importance of caring for their plumage?  The adults had moments of preening, the cygnets seldom ceased. The video caught the integrity of the family group: the oneness of the cygnets and the vigilance and protectiveness of their parents.