Great Photos! From the position of the eggs, two things happened. Something or someone removed the eggs from the nest and placed them in the position that they are now located or the parents were trying to tidy up the nest and in the process of moving some of the hay to make or enhance the nesting bowl, the eggs came out with the straw. Usually, if the swans are responsible for removing the eggs and not a predator, the eggs are strewn not gently laid, which means that this was probably an accident if the eggs were removed with the straw. If this had been an animal predator, raccoon, etc, the eggs would have been consumed and no evidence of their being removed would have been found except the fact that they were not present in the bowl.

We don't know if these swans are protected, i.e., if they actually belong to someone, etc., but the 2 eggs need to be immediately removed and thrown into the nearest lake before they explode. So, the caretaker or owner needs to be notified to remove the eggs.

BE CAREFUL AROUND THESE PARENTS!! Two to three people may need to be part of this operation so that one person removes the 2 bad eggs and the other people act as diversions. The best method would be to take a long pole and roll the eggs away from the nest so that the parents are not disturbed. If you disturb the parents, they could step on the good eggs with too much weight or launch more out of the nest. SO, THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE GENTLY!

If you do not remove the eggs, a predator such as a raccoon or fox will find the nest and try to rob it. If the eggs explode, the nest will be overtaken by ants which can kill the cygnets as they are hatching. Good Luck. Let us know how this situation progresses. The Regal Swan