I must tell you I have found so many answers on your msg board, thank you very much! I suspect my "issues" are not unique and hope to get confirmation (based on previous posts). There is a development across the street from us and they have a pond of appx 2 acres in size. It is very well maintained, has almost no plant life in it and manicured grass on the banks. At some point in late summer or early fall the two Male Muted Swans that had been placed there (less than one year) wandered across the road (five lanes) to our pond. Our pond is appx 2 acres surrounded by 15 acres of wooded area and yards that run to the waters edge. We had duckweed, and LOTS of other unwanted plant life plus a heavy amount of undergrowth on shore in some ares. The Swans seemed to be "ok" for a brief while but soon where making their presence known to our adjoiners with aggressive behavior. It appeared that it was one in particular that would lead the charge with the other lagging behind or actually staying in the water. The Swans have always been willing to give chase to people when they approach the pond and show no fear of mowers or tractors. We have tried using poles to simply "push" them back or steer them into the water. I have been using an 8' pole to keep them at bay, sometimes the confrontation lasts for up to 20 minutes. In the last four weeks or so, both Swans have taken to "attacking" anyone who gets near "their" pond now. We were told by the actual owner this is a pair of males, but have no idea what the age is or how long they have "been together". One neighbor has observed the Swans attacking Geese that have been here for years (well, they migrate but have been coming back for years). The Swans have been seen fighting (not mating) in the warmer months but I have seen them doing what appeared to be making a nest and the "dance" on shore.

So my questions are : We need them to NOT attack the mowers and tractors..... suggestions?

A 50/50 mix of cracked corn (not whole right?) and poultry feed is a good for daily use right?

A whole head of lettuce (really, a whole head?!?!) per day is a good thing?

Opinion, will using a net and feeding them reverse the negative history that has occurred so far?

Marck

PS: we have spent over $3,000 keeping them safe from the adjoiners (400'+ fencing so far).... they wanted to "exterminate" them and had started to gather their collective resources to have them "disposed" of.