By Hayleigh Gowans

Staff Writer

Although with the weather lately it may not feel like spring is upon us quite yet, one annual sign of spring — the hatching of Manny and Faye’s cygnets at the Manlius Swan Pond — has occurred to signify the season is on its way.

According to Michael Bean, donor and caretaker of the mute swans at the Manlius Swan Pond, three cygnets — two female and one male — have hatched from the group of seven eggs that were laid by Faye, the female swan, in late March.

Bean said the cygnets started to hatch on Thursday, May 12, and were completely finished with the process by Sunday, May 15. Seven total eggs were laid, but Bean said the two arctic blasts and snow in early April may have contributed to the four eggs that were inviable.

The first two weeks of a cygnet’s life are critical because they must rest and recuperate from hatching, then learn to walk while fending off any disease brought into the pond by the mallard ducks or other wildlife who share the pond, said Bean.

Cygnets live off of egg yolk for the first few weeks, but must learn to eat after that time. Bean said the cygnets are covered in oil from their mother’s nesting, which will make them able to take their first swim on the pond.

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, and Bean said he believes the male cygnet has been a recipient of those traits. 

Last year, the hatching of the cygnets at the swan pond was threatened due to a declaration by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that mute swans were an invasive species and plans to eliminate the species from the state by 2025 were put in place. This meant that Manny and Faye would not be able to reproduce, but the Village of Manlius appealed to DEC and was granted a permit to breed the two swans due to Faye’s genetic mutation.

Any cygnets produced by Manny and Faye are removed from the swan pond before the next mating season to make room for the new cygnets, and are being held by Bean until they can be sent to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), an organization in England that functions to preserve wetlands.