Back in May 2024 there were a swan family with 9 cygnets on the Mill Stream near the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon.

Now, halfway through winter, a swan family with four cygnets can be seen along the same stretch. The young swans, almost adult in size, still have youthful brownish plumage and grey bills.

The cygnets remain with their parents, who have not yet chased them away. According to Swan Life, this separation usually happens when cygnets are between five and ten months old.

The move to independence will be a dangerous time. Their first flights bring the risk of colliding with power lines, one of the big hazards in their journey to adulthood. Their new location is unlikely to offer quite the same ready supply of human food as the bridge near the open air pool.