Swan Upping, the annual census of the swan population on the River Thames, took place last week.
The event has changed from a mostly ceremonial event to an important element of wildlife conservation
It plays an important role in the conservation of the mute swan, and involves the King’s swan warden, David Barber, and his team collecting data, assessing the health of young cygnets and examining them for any injuries.
Cygnets are extremely vulnerable at this early stage in their development and Swan Upping is an opportunity to help both adults and cygnets that might otherwise go untreated.
The Royal Swan Uppers, who wear the scarlet uniform of His Majesty The King, travel in traditional rowing skiffs, together with Swan Uppers from the Vintners’ and Dyers’ livery companies.
Last year, the number of cygnets weighed, measured and given a health check between Sunbury on Thames and Abingdon Bridge was 94, compared with 155 in 2022.
The downturn in numbers was anticipated due to the severity of the outbreak of Avian Influenza during Autumn/Winter 2022 which caused the deaths of many thousands of swans throughout the country, and many hundreds on the River Thames.
Last year also saw a considerable downturn in cygnet numbers due to the loss of many of the breeding pairs during the outbreak of Avian Influenza.
A spokesperson for the Swan Upping initiative told Wokingham Today they would be collating information about this year’s numbers once the census has been completed.
