Swans have nested this season for the first time in a small pond near where I live. Originally there were eight babies, but six were killed through predation. I have been looking for the two remaining swans to start to fly with their parents all fall. Two days ago the parents and one juvenile left, leaving the one juvenile behind. I can't see anything wrong with this bird, and don't know why the parents abandoned it. Just concerned what will happen to this bird, especially since I have been watching it since spring. The pond generally freezes over the winter, so I don't know if it can survive there. Is it possible that it can leave on its own? It breaks my heart to see the swan all alone on the lake.

Katonah, New York