Swan Rescue - Hertfordshire

25/04/2025

Please don’t ignore this behaviour. It feels like wildlife cruelty is increasing at the moment. And it’s heartbreaking to see and there is absolutely not excuse for it.

Warning - Distressing Images

We’ve thought long and hard about posting this. We don’t want to spark debates about legislation or policy changes - because the heartbreaking reality is, we can’t afford to wait. This is about immediate action. And these are steps you can take to help.

This past week has been devastating. Every single day, we’ve received reports of swans and other waterfowl being deliberately harmed - shot with catapults or air rifles, or attacked with stones.

These aren’t tragic accidents. They’re deliberate acts of cruelty - and they are crimes.

Every incident we attend takes its toll on our rescuers.

While we are working on effective measures like a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to deter this kind of behaviour, we need your help right now.

Here’s what you can do:
⚠️ If you witness someone harming wildlife, call 999 immediately. This is a crime in progress. If it’s safe to do so, record photos or video as evidence.
⚠️ If it’s already happened, call 101. Report every detail and share any evidence you can.
⚠️ Share on social media to alert the community—but please report it officially first.
⚠️ Share this post. Help us raise awareness and encourage others to take action too.

We know police resources are stretched, and they may not always be able to attend. But every report adds to the bigger picture - identifying hotspots, repeat offenders, and strengthening the case for enforcement through tools like the PSPO.

Swans and other wildlife are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Harming them is a criminal offence. But laws only matter when they’re enforced - and that enforcement starts with your report.

Let’s make one thing clear: cruelty won’t be ignored, and it won’t be tolerated.

Thank you for standing with us.

20/04/2025

Please please don’t feed on any nests. It can cause more problems, although it’s well meaning birds bulk up ready for sitting on the nest. They lose condition during the incubation but this is a normal thing.

PLEASE DO NOT FEED SWANS ON THE NEST

Earlier today, we were called out to a nest where a large pile of bread had been left - no doubt with the kindest of intentions. But sadly, feeding swans while they’re nesting can do more harm than good.

Here’s why:
❗️Food attracts predators like foxes, mink, and rats, who will disturb the nest and may even take the eggs.
❗️Dogs might be drawn to the food too, causing distress or even harm to the swan.
❗️The female swan is well prepared - she’s built up reserves and will now eat very little while she incubates. She’ll occasionally leave the nest to stretch or drink, and during these short periods, the male keeps the eggs warm and protected.

Please only feed swans in the water, away from their nests.

Thank you 💙

17/04/2025

Seen any little ducklings yet?

Spring breeding season is in full swing with many swans currently on the nest and we’ve spotted plenty of ducklings about. If you live near or visit a waterway often you could help this team gather information on duckling survival rates, something we know little about. Check out the link for more details.

https://citsci.org/projects/ducklingwatch/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR57FLn_Ccq_6bQ_3bOKYc793MEq95k1j-mIxo9sntqoVErpwI4RB1Kt_F0n-g_aem_85jH_Gm2CZWKkzpok5Birg

08/04/2025

Silly swans

This silly chap decided he wanted to appear trapped behind the fencing on one of the islands at Stanborough lakes this weekend. He was the second to have done this in the week. Unfortunately he appeared to not be very wise and spent a while just swimming backwards and forwards looking rather lost. So on Sunday we borrowed a boat and donning the waders he was encouraged back out onto open water and off the island. Unfortunately there is a few swans on the north lake and the resident cob is trying desperately to move them off his territory before cygnets arrive. This is probably the reason the swans keep getting ‘trapped’ on this island, although they can really get themselves out they don’t appear to be willing to work the puzzle out. 🤦‍♀️

06/04/2025

Sassy Sam the common scoter.

Well done to those who guess her species correctly. This little lady I’ve nicknamed after 3 separate Sam’s who helped get her on her way to care.

She was picked up by the lovely team at AMP electronics in Hertford (very much recommend this team already as they’ve done great work with our car!). Sam very kindly drove her to me as I was very close to leaving for work so I was able to quickly assess her for any major injuries and settle her into some comfortable accommodation to chill while I went to work. Thankfully she appeared to have no injuries or illness and was a good weight and condition for the species. Common scoters are a very rare sighting (particularly inland) in the U.K. They are considered a RSPB red listed species as their numbers have drastically declined in recent years and many theories have been considered including human activity and oil spills offshore. There is only approximately 50 breeding pairs in Scotland that are known about but they often overwinter around U.K. shores.

Whilst most species of waterfowl can be cared for by most U.K. wildlife hospitals this little lady put me in a bit of a predicament as they need particularly specialist care to thrive being a sea duck with a specific diet. It was quite clear from day one she would not be very interested in eating any food I offered and I began assisted gavage feeding 2-3 times a day. Whilst doing this I reached out to various contacts and friends and through a friend of one of my vets I spoke to the veterinary team at Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT), who quickly put me in contact with an expert on these species called Sam. Through this amazing networking Sam was able to get me in touch with someone who was able to take this little lady but he was a little way across the country and not available this weekend. But through friends was able to send a colleague to collect her. Both of us had a considerable drive to meet halfway. So yesterday she got driven by my best friend and partner in rescue work Sam!

It always amazes me how much people are willing to help, network, give up their time, fuel and resources to help one another for animals and wildlife. Little sassy Sam has settled in well with ducks of her own kind and I was given a wonderful update this morning to let me know she’s doing great. Thanks to everyone along the way in helping this incredibly cute lady out!

05/04/2025

Guess the species.

This little one is getting a rather long road trip for some specialist care today. Amazing what you can do networking with people and what others are willing to do for wildlife. Brownie points for those who can identify the species and gender of them. Will post more tomorrow with the answer and about their story. For now let’s marvel how cute they are!

18/03/2025

We got called to a mallard earlier today with a plastic ring around her neck. The caller contact the team at Stanborough lakes (Welwyn Garden City) who let me know about her. The finder had attempted to catch her without any luck. When we arrived the flock were already incredibly unsettled and cagey about us near them so catching was not successful.

Mallards are very savvy birds and are very hard to catch when well. Not only can they take off almost vertical from standing they can also dive making rescue of them very difficult. They will almost always evade any capture attempts and we advise not trying to catch them yourself unless they are severely injured or weak.

In cases like this little lady what often happens is lots of people post about them on local social media pages and all local residents pop by trying to catch the bird resulting in stress to the animals and unsuccessful captures by rescue teams. Some birds also vacate the area due to the stress. If your local please don’t attempt to capture this duck, both myself and the stanborough park team will be monitoring her closely and will attempt rescue intermittently to avoid stressing her out. She is still able to eat and drink no problem. With any luck we will get her or she will manage to work the plastic off without getting her beak trapped.

Thanks for all your understanding.

25/02/2025

Definitely feeling a 6 today. 😂

Tell us, which swan of these are you today? 🦢

22/02/2025

Hi all. I’m not available most of this weekend for rescues I’m afraid. (The joy of having a job where I am also on call and have to go). I’ve already had a few people try contact me this morning for rescues but I am shortly leaving for work again. Please give the sanctuary a call or take a look here for local contacts should you need help. Apologies.

HelpWildlife.co.uk - Helping You to Help Them

20/02/2025

We have been called to several wildlife crimes against swans in this area recently as have many of the local volunteers here. All the rescues have been reported to the police at the time of the incident. If you have any information that may be of use to the police then please contact them on the links here.

15/02/2025

The best part of any wildlife rehabilitation is release. Ultimately we always want to get our rescues back into the wild so they can live a natural life (there are some occasions where this cannot happen but some disabled waterfowl can live ok on protected waters).

This chap was incredibly lucky this week! With many thanks to Deborah for calling us late at night, this swan is alive thanks to her very quick thinking. He had been driven off the canal all day by a very territorial male but late at night become trapped between a boat and canal side. He was near drowned and completely collapsed when we arrived but had received the perfect care. Been pulled from the water and wrapped up in warm blankets on the boat. He was very bruised and his beak bleeding from his day of beating. Swans are absolutely relentless when they become territorial this time of year and juveniles can easily be drowned if they don’t get a move on. Thanks to Deborah’s quick thinking he is alive to tell the tale. He slept for 24 hours straight, had a complementary feed and it’s now up to him to heal up a bit more. Thankfully he appears to only have bruising, and pulled leg and a bashed up bill. We will keep a close eye on him over the coming few days/week.

09/02/2025

Not a huge amount of fulfilling rescues this last month but we’ve been quietly picking up a few displaced and injured swans around Herts, there have been a few sad ones too. Here’s a little selection of some of our customers this last month. We appreciate everyone who contacts us for help and advice on the waterfowl. This time of year pairs are settling down and beginning to make nests, getting ready for the coming breeding season. This also involves some territorial displays and driving off intruders on their waters. It won’t be long before we start seeing little fluffy ones appearing in our waterways, and I’m expecting plenty of little orphan ducklings coming our way.

As always thanks again for all your care of the local birds!

01/02/2025

Whilst I do occasionally ask finders to guide a swan into the canal or river it’s really important if you find a swan displaced you don’t do this without speaking to a rescue or rescuer. This time of year swans are pairing off and being very territorial. These territorial battles can become very violent and displaced swans need safe places to go.

As ever thank you for watching our waterfowl and feel free to contact the sanctuary or myself should you need assistance.

Why swan rescues should only be carried out by experienced rescuers

Rescuing a swan might seem straightforward, but without the right knowledge, well-meaning actions can put a bird’s life in danger. This was the case in a recent situation where a swan was released into an unsuitable location against expert advice, resulting in a serious welfare concern.

Swans are highly territorial birds. Releasing a lone swan into an area already occupied by a resident pair is extremely dangerous. What may appear to be ‘welcoming’ behaviour is often a warning – an aggressive display telling the newcomer they are not welcome. In this case, the swan was mistakenly thought to be safe when, in reality, he was at severe risk of being attacked and driven out.

Not only was the release location inappropriate, but the handling of the swan before release was also incorrect and unsafe. Handling swans requires skill to minimise stress and prevent injury. Poor handling can cause harm to both the bird and the person attempting to help.

Because of this misguided release, we now have to try and locate the swan before further harm comes to him—something that could have been avoided if our advice had been followed.

If you ever come across an injured or displaced swan, please contact a knowledgeable rescuer before taking action. Swans need to be assessed, handled, and relocated correctly to ensure their safety. Good intentions alone are not enough—experience and understanding are essential when it comes to protecting these birds.

If you have any concerns about a swan in need, please reach out to a reputable rescue organisation before intervening. The welfare of these birds must always comes first!

28/01/2025

Just tagging on to the sanctuary’s advice here.

Avian flu has unfortunately upped a bit in the last few weeks and in the Hertfordshire area we are currently just under the avian influenza prevention zone and not a full housing order zone (where all domestic birds must be kept in). We do not have any cases in this area thankfully but that does not mean birds won’t appear with it.

I am still attending all waterfowl and as I have my own waterfowl I already undertake strict bio security controls to ensure that my own birds remain safe even before this outbreak.

Please continue to feed and look after your local birds. Avian influenza is not easily spread to humans but ensure you are always washing hands after feeding the birds as you should be anyway. If you spot a sick bird as always let the team know and avoid handling any unwell waterfowl. Many thanks for as ever keeping an eye on our local wildlife!

As some of you may know Defra have issued a statement regarding Avian flu, they have put in place an Avian influenza prevention zone that covers England.

This means we have actioned our Avian flu policy, this means we will still be rescuing and helping all waterfowl but our bio security measures are much stricter and we will not be taking birds from affected areas.

We do ask that people do feed as normal, the best chance for wildlife especially in this weather is for them to be well fed.
Not only does this keep them healthy it also stops the spread of Avian flu as they are less likely to stray from their areas in search of food.

20/01/2025

A huge thank you to Marc Ozall for his very generous and kind donation to us! We used a little just this afternoon for a rescue. We are self funded and work on a volunteer bases for the swan sanctuary so all our work and time is from my own pocket. This includes a lot of fuel etc. I have found juggling full time work and this job quite difficult at times if I’m honest. But the birds make it all worthwhile.

Any donations towards helping me is always very much appreciated, especially in times like this where times are quite hard for many. Whilst the waterfowl I help aren’t always super grateful towards me I am incredibly grateful on their behalf! I’ll be setting up a gofundme page in the near future for donations but for the time-being I also have an amazon Wishlist if you wish to help out, items change or disappear depending on need. It can be found here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/2RAXTP90G1OMF?ref_=list_d_wl_ys_list_1&filter=all&sort=default&viewType=list

Many thanks for everyone out there being the eyes and ears of the rescuers, feeding and keeping an eye on our local birds and waterways. ❤️

15/01/2025

We were called yesterday lunchtime about this poor chap, by his very kind caretaker at a local pond. As is sometimes the case due to working full time I was unable to attend immediately but called the reinforcements and with the help of Gill coordinating the swan sanctuary team Sally and Ian were able to attend very quickly with kayaks to save this little lad.

We wish him all the best for a speedy recovery but will not disclose how we feel about what has been done to him. Local authorities have been contacted.

On a side note, please don’t dump your domestic ducks at a lock pond.

11/01/2025

Waterfowl and Ice.

Had a few calls recently about birds in the ice. Whilst it may appear distressing to us these birds are very well adapted to the extreme cold we are currently experiencing here in the U.K. They are able to break the ice and they have evolved very insulated feathers and a fatty skin layer as well as amazing circulation in their feet to keep themselves warm. Please keep feeding your local birds as right now they need us more than ever, they will be conserving as much energy as they can so an easy feed will help them immensely. Why not wrap up and pop out for a walk in this beautiful weather to feed your local waterfowl.

As ever the rescue teams are around if you have any concerns about any birds.