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Each day, much to my delight, Sara Beth and Diablo bring their little family to dine at my waterfront restaurant. They are such superb parents, always allowing their cygnets to eat until they are satiated before they take their turn. And, then, one at a time, Sara Beth or Diablo have their dinner while the other guards their little family. Adult swans are very independent - almost haughty, at times - and none more so than Sara Beth and Diablo. I think, it's because they know how truly beautiful they are. If I'm not at the dock when they are hungry, Diablo will arrogantly patrol up and down, his head and neck just above the dock, reminding me of a submarine periscope, commanding me to hurry and prepare dinner ... and, incredibly, much to my chagrin, I do!!!
The babies are growing by leaps and bounds. I can hardly believe that they are already two weeks old. Two or three times a day, Sara Beth and Diablo bring the babies to my duck ramp for some cracked corn and then, off they all go, searching for natural food and goodies from the creek. There are only seven cygnets now. I don't know what happened to the eighth. Rarely, do the swans lose any of their babies, but, this is an unusual group. There are two or three very curious cygnets who always seem to go off on their own. One night, I found them huddled on my duck ramp and the next morning, they were back with their parents. Very odd ... and very dangerous ... behavior.
Almost three months have gone by, and my swan family has finally returned. I don't know what happened this year, but, they are acting very differently from other years. Perhaps, there was a new predator in the creek, or perhaps because of my lengthy hand surgery, I wasn't around as much as I used to be, or maybe they just needed a change of scenery. Sadly, they came back with only five babies, now grown into big, healthy teenagers.
It's almost fall. Sometimes, Sara Beth leaves her babies with Diablo while she takes some down time by herself. I usually find her in my sanctuary waiting for me. She likes the special treats that I bring her and, I think, she enjoys not having to share them with anyone. We have developed our own kind of communication. I pull some weeds and she follows me around, making those strange little swan sounds. Sara Beth seems exhausted. It's been a long four months and, now, the most physically taxing part for her and Diablo - the flying lessons. What an incredible sight to see! One parent, up front, shows the babies how to fly while the other parents comes from behind chasing them and forcing them "up, up and away"! It takes a while and a lot of prompting and nipping from the swan-parent who takes up the rear - I assume it's Diablo - before the babies get the idea and the courage to attempt to fly, but, when at last they do, what fun! Whee!!!
The babies are now almost full grown, but, still mostly gray. When I feed them, they devour bowls and bowls of food. I guess that their flying lessons use a lot of energy and burn a lot of calories. It's such a funny sight to watch them climb up the duck ramp. They remind me of "Baby Godzilla's" lumbering up to the dock. Even though the babies are almost as big as adult swans, they still have their baby personalities. They get along with everyone, me, the mallards and, especially, Elizabeth, the goose, who often joins them for dinner. They have yet to learn that they are not only the biggest birds in the creek, but, also the most beautiful. They have not yet realized the fact that they are royalty.
She and Diablo spend a lot of time apart, each taking their turns watching their offspring and sometimes, they even manage to go off together, I assume, for a few hours of peace and quiet, content in the knowledge that no predator would dare bother their "kids" now! But, the babies still have their last and most important lesson to learn - they must become independent, able to cope in the wild without their parents' protection. And, Diablo and Sara Beth will now use every tool available to them to make certain that their babies will survive! It's almost December and, sadly, the time has come for me to begin saying my goodbyes to the babies. There are very few gray feathers left. They are almost all white now and the time is fast approaching when, in nature's scheme of things, they must be on their own. Sara Beth and Diablo will soon see to it that their children "leave the nest". For me, it is so bittersweet. I have taken great pleasure in watching them grow so big in such a relatively short period of time. I have laughed at their silly antics and cried when one of the babies didn't come home. I have come to love them. They have become my friends. And, now, they must go and follow their instincts. They must court and mate and raise families ... They must follow the ways of the wild ... And, I will tell myself that this is nature's way ... that Sara Beth and Diablo must prepare for next year's babies ... that I have so very much to look forward to ...
But first, I must wipe away my tears ...
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Copyright (c) 2000, (c) 2001, (c) 2002, (c) 2003, (c) 2004 by Maria's Duck
Tales.
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On May 6th, Sara Beth brought eight little cygnets to the duck ramp. She seemed
so very proud of her little treasures as she posed for my pictures! 
