More than 40 swans have settled on a lake near Vitebsk
More than 40 graceful birds have settled on an artificial reservoir in the village of Sokolniki near Vitebsk.
Local resident Valery Kovalenko counted as many as 43 swans: "I might not have counted them all, because the reservoir is large. And the birds don't stay in one place for long, of course. Imagine: some swans approach people and are not afraid to take bread from their hands. You should see how gladly children feed them, and adults too."
We went to the reservoir in the morning, the day after Valery Kovalenko's call. And our amazement knew no bounds when we actually saw dozens of swans.
Drivers passing by stopped their cars and watched the graceful birds with pleasure.
A man walked past us. It turned out he was a long-time resident of these places. And his surname was "symbolic": Prudnikov!
— I'm from here. I live in the neighboring village. This reservoir is artificial. At one time, fish were released here for breeding and catching. Last year, I only saw a pair of swans here. This year, too, there were two birds at first, but one died: it ate something wrong, or was killed – I don't know. And recently I observed how the swans were gathering: one after another, like planes at an airfield," said Sergey Prudnikov. He added that he is very worried when people leave trash on the banks of the reservoir. And this happens often.
We turned to **biologist Sergey Petrovsky** for a comment:
— Swans are considered the kings of water birds. Judging by the description, you are referring to the Mute Swan. It actually hisses, as you noticed, when it is afraid of something, "hesitates," or dislikes something.
These birds can be about 1.8 meters long, and the weight of the largest males can reach 13-14 kg. The wingspan of a Mute Swan can be approximately 2.4-2.5 meters.
How a swan almost disappeared in Belarus. This happened at the end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, they were killed uncontrollably because swans were eaten, and their down and feathers were used for various crafts.
Nowadays, the bird willingly lives near people. Especially if they are constantly fed. It is difficult to explain why many swans appeared on this reservoir at the same time. But this is, among other things, an indicator that the water is clean and there is enough food for everyone. Otherwise, the "extra" birds would have flown away.
The swan, about whom the local resident told, could have died because, for example, it swallowed a fishing sinker.
A swan is a monogamous bird. It is not for nothing that it is mentioned when talking about fidelity, love with a capital letter. Swans are honored by those who have entered into marriage, so, undoubtedly, the "swan lake" can turn into a mecca for newlyweds. The main thing is that noisy wedding corteges do not leave garbage behind, and do not throw champagne bottles into the water.
Aliaksandr Pukshanski, Zviazda