We are so sorry for your loss and know how you feel to lose one of these magnificent birds, especially after raising them from such a young age.

Without a necropsy, we can only theorize what the redness and white spots could mean. She could have come in contact with some irritant or poison, i.e., pesticide, insecticide or she may have had a bacterial, viral or fungal infection.

For a mother to leave a nest, then there was probably something wrong. She and the male knew it. Animals know when something is wrong and they will not risk the cygnets or mate's life by hanging around.

The father is probably worn out and if he continues to sit on the nest and raise the young, usually not something that is the job for the male swan, this will be more than amazing.

Are you absolutely sure that you had a male and a female? We ask this question because usually males do not incubate the eggs, only females. Some species of swans and even individual male swans may help, but they typically do not sit for a long time. If the birds were not sexed through a veterinarian's physical observation and probe or DNA Sequencing, there is a possibility that you may have had 2 females. Swans of the same gender will mate, build and sit on a nest. Female swans will go as far as to lay eggs, but they will be infertile. If cygnets hatch, obviously, you will have your answer. But if nothing hatches and the swan has truly left the nest, open the eggs and see if they are fertile. Just be careful that you do not poke so hard that the egg explodes or you will have a very messy smelly mess. Eventually, if nothing hatches the swan will leave the nest and begin spending more time in the pond.

You can feed the adult and the cygnets a mixture of cracked corn and layer pellets thrown into the water away from the bank so that predators and pests do not go after the food. You can also provide romaine lettuce and bread.

Do not beat yourself up over this as things in nature happen. Unfortunately, we feel great love and compassion toward our pets and any loss is taken personally. Please let us know how this works out. The Regal Swan