Oh, babies! New cygnets hatch

Longboat Key’s two mated swan pairs — new couple Sully and Susie plus longtime lovebirds Stan and Wendy — each hatched three cygnets May 1 and May 2, respectively.

Sully and Susie had seven total eggs, but only three hatched.

Three cygnets from Stan and Wendy’s nest hatched, but one died shortly thereafter.

“On the third day, Wendy had culled one of the cygnets,” Novak said. “We say three cygnets in each nest, but that number can change, and it’s changed already. It’s amazing what they do. They really seem to challenge the cygnets. They’re in the water when they’re 2 days old. It’s almost like the parents are testing them for their strength.”

Novak has also noticed weakness in one of Susie and Sully’s cygnets and doesn’t think it will survive.

Surviving cygnets will receive their first round of veterinary care May 8 or May 9, during which their wings will be pinioned to prevent them from flying away.

Novak’s biggest concern is that the parents could hurt or abandon their babies.

“What I worry about now is if the parents view the cygnets to be too small in number, they may decide to cull the rest and call it a season and wait until next year,” Novak said. “It’s a concern of mine that could very well happen. It’s happened before.”

If the parents stick with their offspring, the cygnets will remain with them until December or January.

Novak hopes to place two males as a pair in the waters between Sabal Cove and the Bayou.

Before the newest addition of cygnets, there were 15 swans on the island.

Swans have a 35-day gestation period, and, during that time, the mother sits on her nest for 22 hours each day, leaving only to feed.

Novak’s neighbor, the late Alan Stone, brought a swan pair, George and Gracie, to the island in 1995. Then Gracie, the swan family matriarch, contracted botulism and died in 2007, which piqued Novak’s interest in the family.

In 2013, Novak created the Gracie Swan Foundation, making his swan caretaker role official.

Of this year’s batch of cygnets, Novak said:

“It’s a bit of a disappointment we had small numbers this year. It happens, but it is disappointing. Hopefully, these remaining cygnets can survive.”