Thank you so much for the very helpful info. I will gladly take your advice and leave the eggs alone. Since it didn't occur to me that it may seem like they could be 2 females I didn't mention that after the first mate died we took our remaining swan back to the breeder to verify if he was male or female and they knew how to do it. They put him upside down & poked around and a corkscrew like penis popped out so we are certain he is a male unless you tell us otherwise. We used to see him mount his former mate and chase her around and around but we have never seen him mount or chase this female even though this is their 3rd nesting season together. Is it typical that we should see them mating? Does it seem likely that the eggs just may not have been fertilized by the male and if so why wouldn’t he be mating with this female? (They are always very close to each other and they seem to be a pair.) This is the first year they built their nest inside a barn stall rather than close to the barn under a tree so I'm hoping perhaps with it being better sheltered from the whether etc. maybe they will have a better chance this year.

Thank you again and I really look forward to hearing your reply if you are able to reply again.

Sincerely,
Becky
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