These elegant swans were on the hunt for food on the River Severn. Luckily, a nearby hotel sold bags of pellets especially for them – much healthier than bread.
Swans have appeared in tales throughout history. Aristotle, Plato and Socrates all believed that swans’ singing ability improved near death; hence the term swan song, meaning a final performance.
During the Middle Ages, the mute swan was a valuable commodity and owners marked their birds with a unique combination of nicks in the beaks. The Queen was, and still is, deemed to own all unmarked mute swans.
These swans were no doubt unaware of this tidbit of tradition, preferring the tidbits of food.
They weren’t the only ones that liked the food – this pigeon soon got in on the act:
Travel with Intent 
Oh, that’s funny…the pigeon with its head in the bag…!
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Very trusting!
On Wed, Sep 3, 2014 at 6:47 PM, Travel with Intent wrote:
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Wonderful information, and beautiful photos! I have a question…the swan song info was so interesting. Are mute swans really then mute?
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Beautiful birds! Swans were endangered in Scandinavia not long ago because they were hunted and eaten.
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I didn’t know that!
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they’re beautiful. the last shot made me laugh!
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Now, that is a lot of swans.. They are beautiful. They must be well fed.. Great shots. Thank you for sharing your post with my critter party.. Have a happy weekend!
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Great post, very informative! 🙂 Lovely pictures, and so beautiful, these majestic creatures
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Great photos and tidbits of info regarding swans. 🙂 Sylvia
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The swans are such graceful creatures that it is not surprising they would be kept as pets during the middle ages.
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They are beautiful aren’t they. Sadly I think they were kept as a fresh larder as much as for their beauty 😦
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They used to eat swans back then, too, didn’t they, Deb? Horrid! 😦
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Oh yes, quite a delicacy apparently! That’s why teh Queen has that right – to ensure the Royal Family could entertain in the manner to which they were accustomed 🙂
On Thu, Aug 28, 2014 at 11:11 AM, Travel with Intent wrote:
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Those pigeons would eat anything :D. Thank you for the fascinating facts, Debbie and your participation.
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