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Mother swan dies a week after hatching cygnets on Esplanade, officials say
The Esplanade Association announced the death of the bird on Tuesday morning.
The mother swan who hatched six cygnets on the Esplanade last week has died.
“We’re saddened to report that the mother swan of the adorable Esplanade swan family passed away last night in her nest,” the Esplanade Association wrote Tuesday morning on Twitter.
According to the nonprofit, Boston Animal Control removed the dead mother bird from the nest while the father swan “sat at the nest with their cygnets tucked under his wings.”
Sylvia Zarco, a photographer who has been taking pictures of the new swan family over the last week, wrote on Instagram about observing the swan’s last moments.
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“She was resting, sheltering her cygnets like the great mom … she’s been for the past week. But she couldn’t lift and hold up her head,” Zarco wrote. “She stumbled when she stood, couldn’t swim straight and whatever she did, she only propelled herself backwards.”
The bird’s mate would not leave her, she wrote.
“When the cygnets went for a swim, you could see how torn he was between staying with and encouraging his mate and protecting their young,” Zarco wrote. “When it was clear she couldn’t get back to the nest, he seemed to help her to the opposite shore where she eventually put her head on the rocks so she wouldn’t drown.”
By the time Animal Control arrived, the mother bird had died, she wrote.
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People have been gathering on the Esplanade over the last week to catch sight of the new swan family. The cygnets hatched over the course of several days last week.
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