Great question! Swans can become very territorial when they feel safe, have a good supply of food and a grazing ground of grass.

So, here are a few questions and suggestions that might help us understand why they like your area and what can be done to alter their behavior.

1. Did you ever feed the swans at the back of your patio or in the outdoor space? If so, swans are pretty lazy animals and will go where there is a readily available food source. If you have fed them in this area, stop feeding them and ask the complex manager to provide a feeder away from your area.

2. Is there grass in your outdoor area and no where else around the complex? Is there another area that the swans like to get out of the water to preen and sun? If not, this might be why they have chosen your area. It is green, grass is good for grazing, it is flat and easy to enter and exit the water. Ask the complex manager to clear any rocks, cement or other debris from other areas away from your area and provide grass for grazing. Offering the swans multiple areas for preening, entering and exiting the water and grazing will allow for their choosing other areas besides yours for these activities.

3. Are there other areas in the complex where the swans sit but are aggravated by people, children, predators or domestic animals such as dogs and cats? If so, your area may be deemed safe because you don't have pets, children or people in general that harrass the swans or the swans feel are a threat. If this is the case, you want to create as much noise as possible when the swans come to sit in your area. You can take a white towel or white umbrella (opening and closing it quickly) and make yourself look like a bigger swan. Waving the towel or using the umbrella, make noise and tell the swans that they
have to move when they begin to get out of the water. These actions may chase the swans from your area. The only problem is that if you like the swans to visit, this may keep them from ever visiting your area. Ask the complex manager to provide safe areas for swans away from people and predators.

4. Is there a fence area around your patio or outdoor space? If not, you might want to invest in a temporary small picket fence. When you want to have access to your area, you can erect the fence and use your area and then take it down when you want the swans to visit. Otherwise, you can place a permanent fence in your area and the swans will not be able to access your area.

We hope that these suggestions are of benefit. One thing is for sure: a swan's powerful wings can easily break a rib, leg or arm. You do not want the swans near a 1 year-old. Furthermore, you do not want your son or anyone to hand-feed the swans as their beak is eye level to a child's eye. Even if the swan is not aggressive, if they hastily reach for a piece of bread in a child's hand, the swans might miss the hand and get and eye or cause a facial injury. Good luck. Let us know how this situation progresses. The Regal Swan