Hi Max: You are welcome. Sometimes, intermittent temperatures may not affect the swans, but it depends on the swans and the severity of the weather.

Nest construction might be helpful by providing them with a lot of reeds or straw. Also, the entrance to the nest should be a zero entrance, meaning that the cygnets can float in and out of the nest without having to climb steep banks. Steep banks can prevent the cygnets from getting back to the nest resulting in severe leg injuries and even drowning.

As far as peaceful, if the swans continue to build in that particular area, then they are comfortable with people and noises. It might be that they feel safer from predators in that area, so if they continue to return to the same area, let them but help them with better entrance to and from the nest and provide a lot of nesting material.

As far as taking the swan eggs and replacing them, this may or may not work. Swan mothers lose approximately 30% of their body weight during egg laying and nesting. SHE CAN COUNT! Birds are programmed with a certain number of eggs that they lay. If you remove the eggs, she may try to replace the eggs by what is called double clutching, meaning she is replacing eggs by laying more then she should be laying. This could prove extremely detrimental to the female as she could lose even more body weight which could leave her susceptible to illnessess, especially during extreme weather.

Again, she can count. If you replace the eggs and she knows that she has not been sitting on them, she could kick out the eggs or abandon the whole nest knowing that something has been messing with the eggs and nest. We hope this helps. The Regal Swan