The mother swan will keep the young cygnet returning to the nest 2-3 weeks after hatching regardless if there are eggs in the nest. The mother knows best and will probably not try to hatch the other eggs at this length of time. However, having said this, if she does, then she will abandon the cygnet and watch over the next hatchings or take care of the present cygnet and abandon any new hatchings. In all probability, the eggs are probably duds and she is using the nesting site as a protection at night for the cygnet as it is too young to spend any long periods of time in water, especially at night because it does not have the feathers for water repellancy and warmth. Once the cygnet gets older, the mother will take it from the nest and use other sites so that predators do not eventually find the nest. The Regal Swan
« Hide