hi again and thanks for your mail. no i'm not near manchester, i'm a good bit further up north near glasgow airport.

Its definately the male thats missing. i know these swans well and she has a label on her leg which he doesnt.

I fear he may have been abducted or killed by a human. the only other predator i can think of would be a fox. there were terrible duck in distress sounds a week past saturday in the middle of the night. i was told it sounded like a duck and it went on for almost an hour.

Im very concerned about the female. she seems distressed and hyper vigilant. they have been together for over 12 years. is it really likely that he would leave mate elsewhere as she had no eggs this year. she had 7 cygnets last year.

they are the only pair on this pond and he defends it aggressively if other swans try to settle. now she is left alone so its not looking good. is she likely to go and find another mate?

I cant believe she was swimming about with her last left cygnet in january- the other 6 were chased well before that. this cygnet got to stay longer than any other and only got sent out when they started to nest. now this lovely female swan is left alone with no eggs and nobody.

any info on her outlook would be appreciated.

thanks