The Swan Squad

10/10/2026

We were made aware of a cygnet with a plastic ring in his beak. Our busy volunteer raced over and removed it from her beak.

Luckily, Jon and his family work hard frequently visiting the swans across Exeter, earning their trust. This is extremely helpful when it comes to catching injured or displaced swans.

07/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17JmSTCyeh/

03/10/2026

MEET FRED

Fred didnt do well with his first flying lesson. He miscalculated his landing and flew into a boat mast.

He's been checked over and is looking well. He'll stay with us for a few days to be monitored, then we'll send him home to his parents, where I'm sure he'll be a bit embarrassed in front of his siblings.

The second picture below is of Fred and Tamar. Fred is on the right.

02/10/2026

RIVER, ROAD OR RUNWAY???

This young lady got herself a little confused this week. She decided to crash land on Embankment Road in Plymouth, one of the cities busiest roads!

Luckily Sarah, a local vet and a kind gentlemen stopped to assist, and herded the swan into a lay by. We attended and caught the daft girl. Once in the car, we gave her a copy of the highway code, and had a chat about the difference between a road and a river.

After checking her over and monitoring her, she was released onto a nearby river.

26/09/2026

BELLATRIX AND TAMAR

This pair are now in the garden enjoying the fresh air.

Bellatrix is marching around as though she's never been unwell, and Tamar is relaxing in the sun and plodding short distances.

Bellatrix has no mate, and if Tamar is returned to his family, sadly he'll now be attacked. Both will be released into a flock together. As Tamar gets upset being alone, Bellatrix can wait a few extra days until Tamar is ready, and they can leave together.

25/09/2026

Swan voyage! Rescued swan flies free after getting in a flap at South West Water site | South West Water

A swan has been safely returned to the wild after becoming stranded in a storm lagoon at a South West Water site in Exeter.

24/09/2026

TAMAR

Tamar, a young cygnet came in after being stuck in mud and unable to walk. A local gentleman Pete, kindly drove him from Calstock to us.

After a check over we found he had a swollen and very sore ankle. We wrapped the ankle with a paultice and placed him on anti- inflammafories. Tamar got to meet a vet who was new to swans, he behaved perfectly..

Sadly Tamar was very unsettled and frequently called out for his family, which was heart breaking. He kept trying to lay close to Bellatrix's pen, so we made the decision to put the pair together. It worked brilliantly, however Tamar has now taken on Bellatrix's attitude. So we now have two rogues in the hospital 😂.

22/09/2026

BELLATRIX

Meet Bellatrix, she has been named for being such a sunny, happy patient .. OK, I'll tell the truth, she's terrifying.. She loves to attack with her wings and bite as hard as possible. 😬 Which makes medication time great fun.

Bellatrix has an injury between her tail and pelvis. This particular injury usually happens during mating season, or from a dog attack. On arrival she was completely unable to move her leg. She is now on the road to recovery.

20/09/2026

OLIVE

Olive came in during the week after flying into a window. She's had rest, and is looking good, so she was taken to a park to be released. Unfortunately, after a couple of attempts, it was obvious she cannot fly.

We double checked her, and she has no breaks in her wings, and her wings etc. Are sitting well. It looks like she may have a fracture in her clavicle or coroacoid. We'll be taking her into the vet for xrays on Monday.

If you can help towards the vet costs, it would be appreciated,

https://www.gofundme.com/f/devon-and-cornwall-swans/cl/o?utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&lang=en_GB

PAYPAL - [email protected]

19/09/2026

AUDREY

This lady was released this week. She was brought up after being attacked by a territorial pair. She looked in a bad way when she was brought in.

After a couple of nights in the hospital room, Audrey was moved outside. She had a lovely time resting, eating, swimming and preening. By the time she was ready to go she looked in beautiful condition.

She was released back in Exeter, but in a flock. One of our volunteers checked on her a few days later, and she came straight over for food.