Water Conservators joined the Caversham Princess at Reading for the annual cygnet count on the River Thames known as ‘Swan Upping’.
Swan Upping is an annual ceremony that these days involves catching, counting, examining, weighing and ringing mute swan cygnets, primarily to assess their population and health. Dating back to the Middle Ages, it reflects the Crown’s historical ownership of mute swans, now shared with the Vintners’ and Dyers’ Livery Companies on certain River Thames stretches. The ceremony occurs in the third week of July, with swan markers and representatives from the three ownership groups rowing up the river in traditional skiffs. It takes five days to cover the 79 miles between Sunbury and Abingdon
The flotilla, manned by Swan Uppers in scarlet rowing shirts and headed by The King’s Swan Marker, wearing a hat with a white swan’s feather, rows its way steadily up the Thames. When a family of swans and cygnets is spotted, and the Swan Uppers carefully position their skiffs around the swans, lift them from the water and check their health. This iconic five-day journey upriver has been an annual ceremony for hundreds of years, but today it has two clear goals; conservation and education.
The skiffs are positioned around the swans, and the family lifted out to be constrained, inspected and weighed. Under the tree (right above) there is a line of seven cygnets awaiting inspection, before release. The young cygnets are ringed with individual identification numbers that denote their ownership if they belong to the Vintners’ or the Dyers’ Livery Companies; all Crown birds are left unmarked.
During the three hours we were with them, a lot of effort led to the capture of seven cygnets, with three more hiding as the flotilla passed. During the week, 115 cygnets were ‘upped’ and the valuable data on health and numbers recorded. Numbers were higher this year which was a relief after last year’s low numbers following the flooding.
Peter Hall, Past Master
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