WOKINGHAM borough was host to a royal event last week, as the annual Swan Upping project passed through Sonning Bridge.
On Thursday, July 22, a group of swan counters set off from the village to complete their annual census of the River Thames’ swan population, in a bid to help conserve it.
It is a 900-year-old tradition which takes place for three days in July each year, but was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic.
This year, the Swan Upping began at Eton Bridge, Berkshire on Tuesday, July 20, and finished at Moulsford on Thames, Oxfordshire, two days later.
Northamptonshire resident and Thames enthusiast John Tippetts followed the team down the path of the river to watch the tradition unfold.
“It was utterly brilliant,” he said. “A lot of people go years without actually seeing what they do — all you see is a large number of boats rowing down the river.
“I consider myself to be really, really lucky to see three groups of cygnets being Swan-Upped.”
According to Mr Tippetts, the Swan Uppers will capture families of swans by encircling them with their boats.
They then lift the cygnets and parents out of the water to weigh and measure them.
A number of companies have rights to the swans along the Thames, so the royal party checks each bird and tags any without markets as belonging to Her Majesty.
“To me, the best bit was seeing them all put back in [the water] at the same time,” Mr Tippetts added.
“They have to, because there’s always a danger the parent could suddenly decide to disown one or more of the cygnets.
“It was lovely watching them all sail off into the distance as one happy family again.”
Announcing the project earlier this year, David Barber, the Queen’s swan marker, said the public was vigilant in reporting injured swans during the pandemic.
“This has enabled them to be rescued and treated promptly which has avoided unnecessary suffering,” he said.
According to Mr Barber, breeding was successful this year as less dog attacks were reported during the pandemic.
He added: “However, we have seen a vast increase in the incidence of pollution on the river over the same period; engine and diesel oil deposited in the water along with other debris and pollutants cause serious problems for swans and other water borne wildlife.
“These situations are entirely avoidable and have a devastating impact upon both the wildlife and the environment.”
