On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me … seven swans a-swimming
For five days, a family of swans has been waiting on the bank of a pond in Werrington, Peterborough – not swimming, not feeding properly and not moving far. The water they should be in has been poisoned. Someone has dumped oil into the pond, and the slick has done what oil always does to birds: matted feathers, stripped waterproofing, leaving their bodies cold and clammy.
Swans survive by water. Their feathers are engineered to repel it, to trap warmth and provide buoyancy. Once that protection is compromised, they are stranded – unable to swim, unable to clean themselves, vulnerable to cold, exhaustion and infection.
There is a temptation, particularly at Christmas, to soften the image. But oiling is one of the most traumatic situations a swan can endure. Even when rescued, washing removes what little protection remains. Recovery is slow. Survival is not guaranteed.
Without intervention, these birds would not make it through winter.
That they might is down to the existence of a place built for moments like this.
A place built for second chances
The Waterfowl Sanctuary set up by Graham Porter, sits in Godmanchester, near Huntingdon (not to be confused with another waterfowl sanctuary and children’s farm in Oxfordshire). It offers rescue, rehabilitation and, where necessary, lifelong sanctuary to waterfowl – ducks, geese and swans – that can no longer survive safely in the wild.
It began not as an organisation, but as a response. At a previous home, ducks nested each year. The ducklings would hatch, spend a few hours on the pond, then be led away by their mother to a nearby watercourse, where predators waited. Nature, perhaps – but repetition sharpened resolve.
A new property was found – one with ponds already in place and room to adapt. Fences were built – painted green, meshed to look natural, and electrified discreetly at the back. Five and a half acres became predator-proof. An abandoned swimming pool was converted into a covered pond where ducklings could grow safely with their mothers until they were old enough to fend for themselves.
What began as a response to repeated loss soon drew others in. It was never imagined that the work would escalate – becoming so busy, so well known, and so widely shared across the rehabilitation and wildlife caring community.
What emerged was not a showpiece, but a working environment: engineered care that allows injured, disabled and vulnerable birds to live without constant threat. From here, rescues happen – sometimes one bird at a time, sometimes many more.
Swan one: From poisoned water to patient recovery
The family from Werrington is brought in together. Twelve birds, all affected.
They’re clammy with matted down and in dire need of a thorough washing followed by a good towelling off. Cygs in blankets as it’s Christmas.
The washing itself is unavoidable and brutal. Oil must be removed completely, and in doing so every trace of natural waterproofing is stripped away. What follows is not immediate relief, but days of relentless preening as the birds try to rebuild what has been lost feather by feather.
The cygnets will not return to that pond. At this time of year, young swans are often driven off by their parents anyway. So, Sanctuary volunteers take them to a colony, to be spared additional trauma, and their parents return home.
But the damage is already done. Recovery takes time. Warmth must be managed carefully. Observation is constant — a reminder that rescue does not end at removal; survival often depends on patience rather than action.
Swan two: The injury you do not expect to find
This swan arrives battered after a territorial fight along the River Cam in Cambridge. The injuries are clear enough: swelling, damaged eyes, a body marked by repeated blows.
While treating him, something else is noticed – a blockage in his nostril, hard enough to raise concern. A scan confirms it is metal. Lodged in the airway is a corroded 4g ball bearing, shocking the Sanctuary volunteers at the idea someone would fire a damaging projectile at such creatures – especially at the face.
Luckily, it pushes out without surgery. The corrosion suggests it has been there for some time, unnoticed, restricting breathing, waiting to become lethal. The rest of the body is scanned. No further metal is found.
He is medicated, kept overnight in a warm crate, and monitored closely. By morning he is brighter, eyes open, preening. He survives not because the violence was absent, but because it was finally seen and screened.
Swan three: When early knowledge makes all the difference
“Angel wing” is a flight-preventing condition caused by nutritional imbalance during growth. Left untreated, it condemns a bird to permanent vulnerability.
This cygnet is spotted early by a rescuer who knows what to look for. Both wings show the outward twist. Timing matters.
The bird is brought in promptly. Cohesive bandage is used to wrap both wings, gently guiding them back into position. After five days the bandages are removed. One wing is perfect. The other still protrudes slightly.
Thermal plastic is applied, providing subtle provocation away from the outward direction. Seven days later, the cast comes off. Four days after that, both wings sit perfectly. No drama — just knowledge applied early enough to work.
The Sanctuary has a separate YouTube video showing how they apply thermal plastic.
Swan four: The hazards we leave behind
The call comes from another rescue group at Furzton Lake near Milton Keynes. A swan is entangled in fishing line, a bait bomb still attached.
He is waterlogged, heavy, slow to manoeuvre — a disadvantage in the wild, but the reason he can be caught. Once secured, the line is removed, loop by loop, before he is released back onto the lake. Rescues of this kind are sadly all too routine across the country.
Swan five: A river that gives no second chances
This place is a death trap.
A house in Grantchester, once a mill, sits above part of the River Cam. Water drops sharply just before a metal framework. Young birds and flight-incapable swans fall in and cannot climb back out. The girder prevents escape.
This is not the first time. Warnings have been raised. Suggestions offered – simple, cheap interventions that would prevent animals reaching the drop. Nothing has been done.
The Environment Agency has been contacted. They are not interested.
A family of swans is spotted by a paddle boarder, making rescue possible and the birds are saved. But relief does not follow. More swans will move in. It will happen again.
These birds will not be returned to that stretch of river. Others will not be so lucky.
Swan six: Going down to bring one bird back up
A swan has fallen to the bottom of a mill wheel in Stotfold, Bedfordshire. The rescue requires urgency and planning. It is dark and the drop is long.
Equipment is gathered: harness, ropes, head torch. Working down carefully, a lower ledge is found. A retrieval plan is made. The bird is netted, lifted clear, then hauled back up with the rescuer.
There is no triumph in the success — just the quiet alignment of skill, teamwork, and timing.
Swan seven: When survival depends on someone noticing
On a Saturday morning, a cygnet flies into a tree and jams there, wings spread. Whether he is trapped or simply exhausting himself trying to stay alive is unclear.
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue attend. A ladder is raised. A plan agreed. The retrieval is careful and controlled.
When the bird is placed in a pen, there is surprise. Within minutes he stands and flaps powerfully.
A child saw the collision and told his parents. The slender tree had swayed, absorbing the impact – a solid trunk might have resulted in a different outcome.
Firefighters, rescuers, bystanders all play a part. Two days later, the cygnet is eating well and strong.
Luck had joined the effort.
What happens after rescue
Not every bird goes back. Some cannot. Injuries heal unevenly. Damage lingers.
The Waterfowl Sanctuary is self-funded on a 23-acre site. Electric fencing must be maintained. Food alone costs around £1,200 a month. Vet bills arrive without warning. Call-outs happen at night, in winter, without pause.
Some swans will fly on. Others will stay.
Seven swans a-swimming sounds like abundance. In reality, it looks more like care, persistence and the refusal to turn away – again and again – from what can still be saved.
The Waterfowl Sanctuary depends on donations to keep them proactive and capable and enable them to grow. If you would like to consider a monthly donation, bank details and PayPal options can be found at their website at thewaterfowlsanctuary.co.uk. Follow The Waterfowl Sanctuary on Facebook.
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