Hi from the UK - excellent website! There are one pair of swans on a man-made lake near us. They drive their cygnets away each year, but one female (?) stayed behind one year, possibly the runt. They make her life a misery when the cygnets are born, but tolerate her the rest of the time. We feed all of them with proper feed and try to make sure she gets as much as possible. This year, strangely, it looks as if the two parents are still out on the lake, but we can just see a swan on the nest on one of the islands. Is it possible that the male has bred with the other female or could it be sharing nesting duties?