“There’s a Swan in the Car Park”

After lunch today we found a young swan in our car park which had clearly lost it’s way!

Although we are pretty near to the River Colne it would have had to have strolled down one of the busiest streets in Colchester and then work it’s way round a few buildings to find us. We thought about ringing the RSPCA but decided to try and help it ourselves. Needless to say it wasn’t happy when we attempted to help it back to the river. It hissed at us and did everything it could to go in the opposite direction to where we ushered it. For quite some time it decided to stand in the middle of East Street with frustrated drivers on both sides waiting for it to move.

Eventually a couple of drivers got out of their cars and helped us herd it out of the road. A friendly postman joined in the fun as did a local woman who came out of her house with some bread (who’d have thought a swan wouldn’t like bread!).

We managed to get the swan moving with some gentle clapping and barrier-forming and slowly worked our way towards the river where a relieved looking mother swan (couldn’t really tell, but imagine that’s the case) was waiting. The young swan finally forced it way through the railings, plopped ungracefully into the river and swam over to it’s ‘mother’. The onlookers cheered, the drivers honked their car horns and we all went back to work.

We’re just left wondering how it managed to get here in the first place, but it broke up the day a bit!

Daniel

Before joining WDL in March 2011 Daniel had previously studied Audio-Visual Production and Communication and worked in a variety of different, but related roles in management and marketing. Most notably managing the move into showbiz photography at the Press Association. His current incarnation as ‘manager of lots of things’ at WDL allows him to indulge his passion for making sure things are done - and done properly!

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