Gay Swan Couple, Makes A Wonder!

Insync

oi-Suparna Chakaraborthy

By Suparna Chakaraborthy

Thursday, April 15, 2010, 10:11

A gay swan couple which set up a nest together makes a spectacle for the visitors at the Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset.

They are the only gay swans, which makes a wonder of togetherness, among more than 1000 birds at the reserve. They do not have any interest in their female companions, especially during the mating season. The swan couple only eye each other. The pair flock together at the start of the nesting season in March. They also engage in rituals associated with a breeding couple.

The occasional lover's fights happens between them too, but they are quick to sort out the differences.

“The two birds both hatched in 2002. They have been together for several nesting seasons and basically keep territory as if they are a nesting pair," says Dave Wheeler, the swannery spokesman.

“The swans get together and form a nest. They sit on it and act in every way as if they were a pair expecting to lay eggs. It is quite sweet," adds John Houston, the manager of the swannery.

Houston says that the pair caught their attention because the cobs (males) have a much larger bump on their nose. “They are sexed and tagged at birth so we know from their rings that they are both male," he added. He says that this is the second time a male pair have formed a relationship at the reserve.