In the past week, Faye, the female mute swan at the Manlius Swan Pond, has laid three cygnet eggs with more expected to debut in the next few weeks.
According to Michael Bean, the donor and caretaker of Manlius mute swan pair Manny and Faye, since Friday, March 25, three eggs have been laid at the Manlius Swan Pond. Up to eight eggs could be laid, said Bean, and once the incubation period starts, the cygnets can be expected to be hatched in early May.
“Things are going good and I’m looking forward to what happens this year,” said Bean.
Last year the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) declared mute swans an invasive species and set out a plan to eradicate the species totaling about 2,200 from the state by 2025. The passing of this law led to the thought that any eggs laid by Manny and Faye would have to be destroyed.
The village of Manlius is known for the swan pond on Fayette Street, and the symbol of the swan has been seen in the village for over 100 years. Manlius Mayor Paul Whorrall applied for and received a special permit in May 2015 that allowed for Manny and Faye to hatch their offspring for the next five years as long as an annual Captive Animal Exhibition Report Form is submitted to the DEC.
Bean said the reason he would like to continue breeding the offspring of Manny and Faye is that Faye carries a recessive genetic trait that is passed down to her cygnets that gives some white bills, white feet and blue eyes rather than the usual black feet, black-and-orange bills and brown eyes.
Bean said the three cygnets hatched in spring 2015 had to be removed from the pond in the beginning of March to make room for the incoming eggs. The three cygnets are currently in Bean’s possession but are being sent to Pennsylvania where they will stay until at least 10 cygnets from Manny and Faye accumulate, and then they will be sent to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), an organization in England, where they will be bred for their genetic traits.
“In the wild, the mute swans usually chased away their offspring to make room for new ones during mating season in the spring,” said Bean.
Currently, a piece of legislation that would put a moratorium on the DEC’s declaration that mute swans are an invasive species, similar to two others that were vetoed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in the past, is expected to soon be put in front of the New York State Assembly. Bean said he is hopeful that this legislation passes and that mute swan will be able to live and breed in the state without applying for special permits.
