Further nature notes
No, not that sort of nature. Sorry to disappoint you. This is the furry, feathery kind.
I played golf on Monday, and was both surprised and upset to see that the swan had left her nest – for the first time in weeks – and was languidly sitting my the side of the pond. Upon closer inspection, there were no eggs in the empty nest, but no cygnets either.
My golfing partner and I wondered what had happened. A fox? An otter? (Do otters eat eggs?) Or had she just abandoned them, after weeks of patient sitting?
We had no answers, but Ed was more encouraging when I got home.
“Perhaps someone has incubated them. There may be a simple reason…”
When he played yesterday, I asked him about the swan.
“Perfectly all right,” he said. “She was sitting on the nest just as usual.”
So now I’m really confused. Is she sitting on an empty nest for comfort? Did I fail to spot the eggs on Monday? Or is there a bunch of tiny cygnets which were hidden under her wings on Monday?
Can’t wait to play tomorrow, just to solve the mystery!