How big is the cygnet? Is it still brown or turning more white? If it is turning white, then it is more than 8 months of age and the parents have probably chased it from the nest.

However, there may be a more darker reason that you are seeing just one swan. If you live near the Jersey shore, you must be careful about alerting anyone, especially your state wildlife officials of its existence as they are trying to kill all of the Mute Swans in the state of NY and NJ.

The young swan's parents and the rest of the family may have been killed by state wildlife officials, but this young swan escaped the pillage. State and federal wildlife officials are misrepresenting the Mute Swan to taxpayers as aggressive, non-native, invasive, etc., so that the taxpayers will go along with the killing program. The reason behind the killing is to remove all Mute Swans from wetland habitats, thus freeing up the habitats for the introduction of the larger Trumpeter Swans for Trophy Waterfowl hunting purposes. State and federal wildlife budgets are decreasing and the only way they can maintain their staff and other parts of their budget is to find a way to kill one species, introduce another and attract the more expensive trophy hunting clientele. Unfortunately, this is the way that these officials tell taxpayers that they are conservation based.

The best thing to do is not to feed the young cygnet so that it becomes dependent upon you. If someone in the area reports him, he could be killed. If you are in a secluded place with no other people around and you can try to keep him in your pond and it is safe from predators and other dangers, than feeding him to entice him to stay might not be a bad idea. Again, as long as you do not get caught feeding and abetting a Mute Swan. The Regal Swan