About Me

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Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, United States

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Swans


Our deck is about thirty feet above sea level.
From it, we look east to Follins Pond
Then to Bass River, which runs south to
Nantucket Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.

Crab Creek runs around our property
From Mill Pond to Follins Pond
Giving us views of water in
All directions of the compass.

An inlet from Crab Creek goes south
To a marsh, ending at North Dennis Road.
On the bank is the annual nesting site
Of a swan couple we keep track of.

Last year, they produced six cygnets.
In a few weeks we observed
The whole family right out back
On and around the nearest point.

Those six fuzzy little brown creatures
Grew quickly, but alas, somehow
Two were missing one morning,
Probably due to predators.

There are coyotes all over Cape Cod
Who could have carried them off.
Or perhaps the huge snapping turtles
Who are denizens of the marshes.

We have also heard that town agents
May cull a flock of swans because
They feed on the vegetation on the banks,
Causing erosion of the marshes.

The four remaining did grow to maturity,
Their feathers gradually turning to white.
The kids were absent for a while, until
All turned up for a Thanksgiving reunion.

Then we did not see any during our
Terrible winter this year, experiencing
Three serious Noreasters in a month.
No one knows where the swans were.

Just this week, a remarkable sight!
Seven swans a'swimming right out back.
All white, all grown, collecting in
Fishing expeditions by twos and threes.

Our guess is that the addition to the flock
Is an outsider who has mated with one of ours.
But, of course, you can't tell the sexes,
They all look alike from a distance.

Now we shall see who continues
To reside in the home marsh.
There may be more than one nesting pair,
Bringing a swan explosion to the neighborhood!