Returning to the river this morning, my heart sank when Slim and Sue showed up with 3 cygnets.
A trip over to the spot where I left it with the parents last night revealed a small scattering of cygnet downy feathers. It appears it had died over night and been taken by Crows or gulls.
In my experience, birds that stop eating soon pass away, and sadly this was the case here. I suspect it was the weakest of the brood, and most likely the same one that was swept away and rescued last weekend.
The first week of any newly hatched birds are often the toughest, not all survive.
😢😢
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