Welcome to Lost Lagoon

 

 

Welcome to The Swans of Stanley Park and to their home, Lost Lagoon, situated at the entrance of Stanley Park, in Vancouver, Canada. We hope that this web site will bring you closer to this most special part of the wildlife of Lost Lagoon through the year, and will delight, as well as inform.

 

In addition to reading about the life of each swan, their characteristics and problems and how to treat them, you are welcome to post messages on the 5 message boards, view the photo gallery, rate and suggest pictures, take the "Swan Quiz",  suggest articles, add your link, and send us your comments.

 

When you stroll along the shore of Lost Lagoon, the graceful beauty of the Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) catches your eye as they glide elegantly across the water, but there is a dimension well beyond that first glimpse that touches the heart and endears these proud birds to all who get to know them.

 

East view of Lost Lagoon, Vancouver, Canada

Precious the Swan - East side of the Lagoon as background

 

Mute swans are native to most of Europe, parts of Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Siberia and China. They have also been introduced into other parts of the world such as New Zealand and North America. In Eastern Europe, swans are wild but in England they have been domesticated for over a thousand years. Tradition tells us that Richard the Lionheart brought swans to Britain from Cyprus after his third crusade, and for centuries, mute swans have been “royal.”

 

Papa and Mama   

 

In medieval times, the Crown granted special rights to favored noblemen and liveried  companies. The custom is carried on today in the annual “Swan Upping” on the River Thames where young Mute Swans’ beaks are marked with the registered symbols of these ancient companies, the Dyers and the Vintners. All unmarked swans are the ‘property of the Queen.’  

 

West side of the Lagoon  

 

Vancouver’s first Mute Swans came as a gift from England around 1889, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that the population became established. Around that time, over 75 swans lived in both Beaver Lake and Lost Lagoon, with a few new birds added over the years as the original number dwindled.

 

 

First-time mother Marlika and her 3 cygnets, Spring 2005  

 

Myriad “packaged” descriptions of Mute Swans have long circulated, but as in all of nature, they simply cannot be limited to one-dimensional characters - and they are definitely characters, each in his/her own way!

 

For example, Precious, the swan of the picture below, had just lost his long-time mate Mrs. P when this picture was taken; he was constantly patrolling the whole lagoon looking for her. You can feel his determination in this picture, you can feel that he is on a mission. Unfortunately, he never found Mrs. P but after a while, life brought him other compensations as you will be able to read in his story.

 

Precious looking for Mrs. P

 

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of Fiona Sinclair


Visit our gallery of pictures

Visit our photo gallery

NEW: Swans building nest in inappropriate area  by: Victoria
We have a male and female breeding pair. This year they built a nest in our garden area which is totally inappropriate due to easy access for predators. There would be no protection for them..
NEW: Grieving behaviour after chased cygnet is killed?  by: Maxine
Hi, a lone cygnet swan that was being chased away by its parent (the male swan) sadly got hit by a bus yesterday and killed whilst both were tussling with each other in the air. Today the male swan..
NEW: Re: Swan flight  by: The Regal Swan
Hi Keith Yes, a swan can take off on land or in the water as long as there is approximately 100 ft or more of clearance, i.e., no trees, buildings, electrical wires, fencing, etc. The Regal Swan
Wild swans at Lost Lagoon?  by: Miki and Fiona
I found your website about the swans of stanely park, great site ! I was wondering if you had any info on whether or not, now that the swans have been moved to a wild life reserve, there are any..
Fiona and the swans   by: Message from Karen
pic I have just been in Vancouver for a couple of days and just prior to leaving I took a 5 mile stroll around Stanley Park culminating at Lost Lagoon. There I saw Fiona feeding the swans and I have to..
Royal swan fight  by: Just trying to kill each other!
I got down to the Lagoon on Sunday Nov 27 and things were pretty calm - Tristan and Isolde came up to eat at this end. Then... Bijan came closer - he must have been pretty hungry, and decided he'd..
We’re Walking on Air!  by: Fiona
pic Having just returned home from a trip to see our former Lost Lagoon swans Tristan, Marika and Bijan in their new location, our happiness cannot be measured. We already knew they were in an ideal..
"Attempted Murder"   by: Jørgen Bjerring
pic Yeasterday - May 22 - I saw two Mute Swans in close contact. During the foreplay the biting was not very aggressive and after a couple of minutes it could look like a mating. But after 15 seconds the..
Elephant and Dog share their love of water   by: Admin
pic The relationship of Bubbles and Bella developed because of their shared love of the water. The pursuit of "aquatic antics" instilled a strong bond between these unlikely pals. Watermark on..