Swany has not laid anymore eggs and hopefully it will stay that way. She sits on the nest periodically, but is spending much time off the nest as well in the pond (self-contained on our property; no other property owners) and on her usual large grassy areas (lawn and pastures).

I'm sure this egg is not fertilized. There are definitely no (wild) male swans in the area, onlyh possibly a few like Swany who are scattered throughout the community, contained on other properties (with pinioned wings).

I wouldn't have to "capture" Swany because she's lived with us for many years. I could simply remove the egg when she's off the nest.

I've hesitated to take the egg away because I didn't want to traumatize or upset her. But obviously Swany's health and safety is more important than my feeling sorry for her . I'll probably take it away tomorrow. I was just curious how long a swan would sit on an unfertilized egg, since I assume they can tell the difference.

anyway, thank you so much for your advice. I'm glad I found your informative and enjoyable website, since it's difficult to find much swan information locally.