Romantic Encounter

I like swans, especially Mute Swans (Cygnus olor / Höckerschwan). They are majestic, beautiful birds, elegant and fascinating when gliding over the water. They are also quite aggressive when tending their young.

I remember my last encounter with swans: I used to run at a lake near my house; after my cool down I always sat on a little wooden deck and fed the ducks with stale bread. On that particular day four cygnets joined the flock of ducks to get their share of the feast. However, it did not take long for the parent birds to come gliding along to take a good look at what was happening there. Apparently they wanted to make sure that I clearly understood that no hanky-panky was allowed with their offspring – one of the swans started to hiss and get into attack mode. I got the message and retreated. An attacking swan is not something very high on my list of “Things One Really, Really has to Experience in Life.”

So I was very pleased that my next swan sighting was of this pretty bird – fast asleep.

The romantic surroundings were quite fitting.