Park pair introduce their family to the world

After taking it in turns patiently to sit on their clutch of eggs, the park's resident pair of swans have proudly put the results of their painstaking parenting skills on display.

To the delight of all, there are again six cygnets in this year's brood. Park contracting staff had thought there were only three eggs in the huge nest pen and cob created out of the bale of straw staff left for them.

This year the pair opted for the island at the Park Road / Wickham Avenue end rather than the exposed site near the rear of the museum.

Already, the bundles of fluff which made their debut late last week are bigger than the clutch of ducklings which hatched just before them.

Like the ducklings, the cygnets are already learning how to feed. Meanwhile, mother and father have their heads below water more often than above as they make up for all those long hours when they were too busy to dive for tasty tit-bits.

Photography: Alan Thomassen