Nesting

I went on an early morning ambulance call yesterday and on the way back, as we rounded the corner at Town Pond, we saw that the swans were beginning to build their nest, in exactly the same place it was last year. I'd been hoping they'd go back to the other end of the pond this year, where they'd been the year before last, because they were more isolated and less vulnerable there. But no, they've obviously become accustomed to the people who stop their cars all day and take photos - or simply stare at them as they incubate their eggs and care for their young.

It's only been a few years since this pair has taken up residence at the pond, and in that time they've become real community celebrities. We humans give each other daily updates, such as "They've laid the eggs-they are six this year!" or "There's one less cygnet today - a predator must have gotten one of them overnight" and we watch them throughout the summer as those babies grow and change, with gray becoming white by the time the autumn leaves appear. Then we wish them luck as they disappear, one by one, heading off to make their way in the world. One young one stayed in residence longer than the rest last fall, and I identified with his parents...

The swans are making their nest at Town Pond. A sure sign of spring and a definite reaffirmation that life goes on. It's so great to see.