England's Bird Herders Host Annual Royal Swan Census

LONDON, July 21, 2010 -- With the rustling of feathers and the occasional squawk, five swans were hoisted from the River Thames just outside of Windsor, England, on Tuesday morning. Their graceful necks resisted the hold of their captors, squirming and trembling until, in a bout of desperation, they yielded to the rope that bound them.

It was the second day of the United Kingdom's Royal Swan Upping, a yearly tradition of counting young swans, or cygnets, along the Thames. Twenty men lift the birds from the river—hence the name "Upping"— and measure, weigh, and check the cygnets for injury.

It is a tradition dating back to the 12th century, one that has shifted and changed with the times. Originally, the English monarch claimed ownership of mute swans because they were a delicacy featured at royal banquets. Because of this status, swans were deemed "royal birds."

In the 15th century, the crown granted swan ownership rights to the Vintners' and Dyers' livery companies.

Today, representatives from the two companies and the monarch participate in this annual event held the third week in July. Dressed in traditional colors — the representatives from the crown are adorned in scarlet — the oarsmen made their way up the river in wooden skiffs. The skiffs are a tradition in and of themselves, as some are over 100 years old.

When the small fleet encountered a family of swans with cygnets, the cry "All up!" echoed through the air. The skiffs corralled the swans against the shoreline. Then, the oarsmen hauled them onto the boats to be tied and lifted onto the shore for measurement.

Once on land, Her Majesty's Swan Warden, a position currently held by Professor Chris Perrins from the Department of Zoology at Oxford University, and Swan Rescue employees measure the swan for growth statistics and check the heath of the cygnets.

"[Swans] are very vulnerable to fishing tackle this time of year," said David Barber, the Queen's Swan Marker. "Especially the young cygnets, they actually get hooks around them when fishermen discard their line, and we get a lot of deaths through that."

A Multi-Faceted Census

Barber said that the modern tradition of Swan Upping is about swan preservation. No longer eaten, the mute swan is now considered "a protected bird." Barber attributed pollution, the increased use of boats along the Thames and even swan shootings to the decrease in the population of this royal bird.

"Their old environment has disappeared, so we're here to look after them," Barber said.

There are currently about 1,200 adult swans on the Thames. During last year's Swan Upping, the Uppers recorded 84 cygnets. Barber hopes to mark just over 100 cygnets this year.

The tagging of cygnets only occurs on the stretch of the Thames covered during the Royal Swan Upping week.

By law, the Queen has the "royal prerogative" to claim any swan in the United Kingdom.

"All birds in the United Kingdom could belong to [the crown], so we just pick and choose," Barber joked.

As much as the practice is about swan protection, it is also about history. Swan Upping is one of the oldest traditions in the royal household.

Barber, who has been the Queen's Swan Marker for 18 years, wore a bright red sport coat with gold trim and a sailor hat bearing a large swan feather as he sat at the helm of a skiff, steering it down the serpentine river. His skiff bore a large flag displaying the seal of Her Majesty Elizabeth II.

Each year, when the Swan Uppers pass Windsor Castle they stand, raise their oars, and say, "Her Majesty the Queen, Seigneur of the Swans."

Steve Bil, the skipper of the boat carrying the press, has participated in Royal Swan Upping for 17 years. For him, the event is about more than just swans.

"It's pageantry at its best. It's part of the history of England. You couldn't put a price on this," Bil said.