David Wheeler the Abbotsbury swan herd has a truly unique job. What's more, he can trace his predecessors - every swan herd at Abbotsbury has been recorded -- all the way back to one William Squilor, the Swan herd of 1393.
More than ceremonial
It's not just a ceremonial job. The swan herd:- ensures that the reed beds and withy (osier willow) beds are sufficient to provide nesting materials
- looks after the health of the birds, watching them for disease or injury
- provides sheltered accommodation in special ponds for swans being attacked by others or otherwise vulnerable
- weighs and rings the birds
- distributes extra feed in the form of wheat pellets several times a day.
The Swan round up
He also presides over the biennial spectacle of the swan round up, a census during which the swans are weighed and measured and newcomers are ringed.By the end of July, because of molting, the swans are flightless for about six weeks. For the round up, forty canoes line up across the wide, Portland end of the Fleet and slowly herd the swans to the narrow end, near the nesting site. They're kept there, overnight, by a boom across the lagoon. Next day, 150 volunteers wade or paddle to drive the birds into holding pens for the census. As many as 900 swans have been herded in this way.
