Thanks for your reply. The harbour in Whitby has an area about 1/2 mile long by about 1/4 mile wide. There is a marina along one shore and our yacht club along the other. The end of the harbour is treed and wetland and that is the area where nests for swans may be successful.

There have been a few nest areas set up to the west of Whitby that have been successful in attracting swans to nest and to remain in the area during the summer.

You are correct that swans and geese can co-exist. We have noticed though that during the nesting and birthing periods, the swans are very aggressive towards other waterfowl - ducks and geese - and that this behaviour will continue as long as the young swans are with their parents. Swans have been observed in Whitby harbour attacking and killing both ducks and geese. That does help to thin out the goose and duck populations quite a bit.