Yes, swans will eventually migrate which is currently the time of year. However, they normally will encourage the young to migrate with them unless something is wrong with the cygnet and it cannot fly. If it was squawking and the parents were answering, they might have become separated and the parents decided to leave the area. In wildlife, it is better to lose offspring than the breeding parents.

Now, having said this, you are unfortunately in Michigan where the Michigan DNR has been killing Mute Swans and their plans continue until 2030 when there will be no swans left. The goal is to open up the Mute Swan's habitat so that Michigan DNR can introduce the larger Trumpeter Swans for Trophy Waterfowl hunting purposes. Yes, at taxpayer money which the DNR officials have publicly admitted is a substantial amount (more than $150,000 a year since late 80's) and is now admittedly, a unsustainable financial program.

Michigan DNR, federal and other U.S. state wildlife officials have perpetuated the greatest hoax on taxpayers misrepresenting the Mute Swans as detrimental to the habitat, invasive and non-native. All non-truths. The reason is to continue this canned misinformation so that the public will buy into the killing of the Mute Swans so that the wildlife officials can continue their plan to eradicate an entire species, introduce another species and use the larger species to fund their wildlife budgets through hunting.

The Michigan DNR shoots swans, snaps/decapitates their heads with a bovine emasculation tool and stomps the cygnets in the nest. If they cannot get to the swans themselves, they "recruit volunteers", usually hunting groups to capture the swans, drag them behind the boat and club them to death with baseball bats or oars. All of this is much more efficient than shooting as the general public never knows what happens to the swans. They hear or see nothing.

The only way this problem is going to stop is to get the general public to force politicians to stop the program by requiring them to be transparent on the budget that is being eaten by the killing machine. We're sure that Michigan has greater problems, i.e., clean water would come to mind that the money could be used in a much more efficient and better program.

Until politicians and wildlife officials are held accountable or their budgets are cut so that people who cannot conserve or manage wildlife without killing are removed and their positions are also removed, will such money-wasting programs as this be eliminated from taxpayer budgets. We are sorry to be the bearer of bad news and we hope that your swans will return, but in Michigan, the Mute Swan killing program by the Michigan DNR is non-stop and ruthless. The Regal Swan