Ten cygnets have been born on Hampstead No. 1 Pond on the Heath.
The first fluffy newcomer emerged, bleary-eyed, on Friday with its siblings joining us in north London over the weekend.
Heath and Hampstead Society Heath sub-committee member Ron Vester, who chronicles the lives of the swans on the Heath throughout the year, was on hand – during his daily permitted lockdown exercise – to photograph the cygnets.
Ron told this newspaper: “The pair of mute swans had ten cygnets last year, and another extraordinary clutch of ten were laid again this year.”
He explained he had be delighted to catch “a very special moment on film” as the pen – the adult female swan – stood over the eggs she knew were to hatch imminently.
The City of London Corporation’s Hampstead Heath team tweeted: “Some new fencing is going up today to protect this swan mum and her little cygnets. Please remember if you’re coming to have a look at them while you’re out for your daily exercise that social distancing guidelines still apply.”’
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