The owner of our condo village brought in a pair of swans to discourage the Canada geese from living in the little lake on the property. (My apologies to Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, for calling our little pond a “lake”.) The swans did not prove to be a total solution. The swans, the geese, and the ducks regularly hold a convention in our yard. They are a beautiful sight swimming on the lake. I am happy to announce that the swan pair are the proud parents of five cute little cygnets (baby swans). The five still have their fluffy white down and short little necks. They are already able to swim and fend for themselves a little bit, but they will be closely watched by momma and daddy swans as they develop. We neighbors will be watching, too. The swans first clutch of eggs were destroyed perhaps by a fox, so it is delightful to see these hatchlings doing so well.
The instinct to reproduce was built in by the Creator. For swans and humans, the forming of a family group also seems to be placed there by the Creator. While we are different species, it is interesting to see those areas that we have in common. We are part of the animal kingdom. There is a story that St. Francis of Assisi once preached a sermon to the birds. When I watch the beautiful swan family glide smoothly across the lake, the St. Francis story seems less strange. Maybe the beauty of these magnificent creatures is a kind of offering of praise to the Creator of all living things.