Swans will tidy their surroundings. Usually it is done for two major reasons, other than cultivating, although most plant life will benefit from old/dead material being removed for new growth to sprout. A swan will pull at the aquatic vegetation to eat or feed its cygnets. You will see the mother swan get into an area and scrape her feet so that the aquatic vegetation floats to the top and the young cygnets can reach and eat the material since they do not have the long necks to access the food. The male swan may be doing this for the cygnets benefit, even though it looks as if they are ignoring him. You may not be able to see what he has pulled from beneath the water and that is eventually floating towards the cygnets as they swim along. The second reason that swans usually pull or strip reeds or grasses is for nesting purposes. The vegetative material is used to construct the nest. We hope that this information is of benefit. It is always a pleasure to watch nature, especially swans as they go about their life on the pond/lake. The Regal Swan