I have two 3 year old Male Mute Swans. I have had them a little over a year. They were raised together on the same lake (breeder) and have been on my lake for a year and a half. Christmas Eve night (9:30pm 27degress out) I came home and only saw one swan in the middle of the lake. My heart sunk thinkning something got one of them. My husband and I searched for over an hour and long story short he heard us and came out of hiding in the woods (he is the friendliest of the two and you can hand feed him). He seemed very confused and tired and I was able to pick him up and I put him at the edge of the lake and as soon as the other swan in the lake approached he turned around and took off. We caught him again and took him to the shallow end of the lake with the same thing taking place. We put him in the garage with hay and small kiddie pool, food, etc.. The next morning he was chipper and preening himself. We tried to put him back in the lake, he walked down to it and same thing as soon as he got close he took off. Took us over an hour through the woods to catch him. Well, now he is back in the garage and is actually eating well and seems happy. Talking to the breeder he says the other male must have attacked him pretty bad.

Well I am afraid he will never go back in the lake with the other and I do not want something to happen to him sooooo..... bottom line I need to get the other one out of the lake. Any reccomendations how to catch him? The Breeder suggests either return my males and get 2 females or he will exchange the problem male with a female. I do not want cygnets and/or the nesting aggression issue which is why I originally purchased 2 males. I was told that if I had a male and female I could keep them from nesting by removing the nest when I see it being built. I do not want cygnets and I do not have the proper safe nesting area for them anyway. I was also told that a lone Swan is a unhappy Swan. I was looking to maybe keep the gentle boy and give him back the other one but I feel guilty of only having one with no buddy. Suggestions on catching the dominate male currently in the lake? Many Thanks!