Great question.

There may be several things going on here. First, did the former tenant feed the swans in your front yard? If so, he may be expecting a hand-out and you are not providing it, so he is not happy.

Second, he may remember you and your dog and in a swan's mind, keeping you in the house is better than having you and your dog invade his territory.

Third, the weather is crazy everywhere and because of the warmer temperatures, many birds and animals are going to nest earlier. So, he may just be getting his testostrone going and your yard is in his territory, so in essence, it is his yard.

This brings up the point whether the swan is being defensive or aggressive. These are two entirely different behaviors. Defensive behavior means he feels threatened and is protecting himself. If he is being aggressive, he is not so much protecting himself as he is asserting himself that he owns the territory.

There are a couple of things that you can do. Obviously, food may not be working as he is chasing his primary treat giver. Usually, this is a good indicator that the hormones are starting to change.

So, what to do. First of all, DO NOT BACK DOWN. DO NOT try to pick a fight, but do not back down. Otherwise, he knows you are scared and he becomes the alpha pack leader. The swan or any other animal for that matter will sense you are scared, are intimidated and the SWAN WILL OWN YOU! He may only bluff, but he will know that you are concerned.

So, get you a white towel or white umbrella. MAKE SURE THE UMBRELLA DOES NOT HAVE A METAL POINT, but is flat on the outside. You do not want to hurt the swan.

USE TWO PEOPLE! Walk past the swan and see if he engages you, meaning does he start coming towards you? If the swan approaches you, open and raise the towel or umbrella so you look like a bigger swan with the wings outstretched. If he comes toward you, gently sling the towel at him and touch his feathers. WARNING! He could get really ticked so this is why you want a second person with you. That person should also have a towel. Two flailing towels, with both people shouting NO and moving toward the swan will usually cause him to retreat. Once he retreats, YOU NOW OWN HIM! An umbrella really works because even if he takes a swing at the umbrella, it won't hurt the swan and you will have some protection against him hitting your legs or other body part. Just be careful when you try this, but if you can turn the tables and intimidate him into believing that you are the bigger swan, he will back down and will probably not want to be anywhere near your house or you. He may still stay in your yard, but he should immediately start to retreat as soon as he sees you.

This procedure may take once or twice to get him to back down, but you must be persistent, shout, wave the towel and let him know you are in control. Also, do not let your dog chase the swan or bark at the swan because the swan will go into a defensive mode vs aggressive mode. At this point, he will be hard to control because he will rightly be scared and try to protect himself. We hope this information is of benefit. Let us know how this progresses. The Regal Swan