Unsuccessfully breeding mute swan
The mute swan can be very trusting. The couple built their nest in a very crowded place.
Luck for me as a cameraman, but bad luck for the offspring that did not hatch out of the eggs.
The nest was on the other side of a wall at Plötzensee in Berlin, over which one could easily lean.
So I observed that four eggs were initially laid. After that, roughly the same number of eggs was gradually added.
In this species, the female predominantly breeds while the male stays nearby.
It is nice to see how the female repeatedly positions the eggs to different places, even turning them around, on a surface made of down feathers to ensure good ventilation and an even supply of warmth.
Depending on the temperature and weather, the clutch is regularly cared for with the help of the long, flexible beak, which picks up the nesting substrate from the edge of the nest and encloses the side area of the clutch with this nesting material.
The images visible in the film were taken during my regular visits to the nest over a period of almost two months (including nest construction and egg-laying, breeding normally about 30 days). Often the breeding animal showed only a few noticeable behaviors that would have led to interesting film recordings.
On May 29th I visited the nest at Plötzensee for the last time. Something must have happened: the nest was deserted, two destroyed eggs could still be seen. The swans seemed to be gone.
Various factors can explain the failure of a clutch of birds. However, human vandalism cannot always be ruled out.
All copyrights Stefan F. Wirth, April-June 2021, lake Plötzensee, Berlin
Watch video Unsuccessfully breeding mute swan online without registration, duration hours minute second in high quality. This video was added by user Stefan F. Wirth 29 June 2021, don't forget to share it with your friends and acquaintances, it has been viewed on our site 226 once and liked it 4 people.