And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?
And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?
And have you changed your life?

– Mary Oliver (the Swan)

My first real encounter with a swan was as a young adult in Scotland. I was sitting alone on a pier late at night. It was misty. Out of nowhere this glorious white creature appeared and circled the pier several times. I was smitten.

When I moved to the Netherlands I was elated to find swans everywhere. Two years ago a swan couple nested close to our home. I started sitting with them (from a respectful distance) and became entranced by their secret language and behaviours. I could be with them for hours and not notice the minutes fly by. I decided to follow them over the course of months (often losing them and finding them again.) It was so rewarding that I decided that I would dedicate myself to a swan family in the summers to come.

In the spring of 2024 I found a swan whose partner had sadly passed. But she was faithful to her eggs and never left her nest. I was lucky enough to witness the hatching of some of her eggs. And the incredible first few weeks with her cygnets before she moved them to a different spot.