Swan's cygnets hatch on Longboat Key

Spring has brought many seasonal changes to Longboat Key, but one that has delighted residents perhaps more than any other is this week's hatching of six new mute swans.

Longtime caretaker David Novak and a handful of volunteer helpers gave the swan family a check-up the morning of April 22.

The pair, named Donald and Lydia, made their nest on a pond along Bay Isles Parkway. The team found six healthy cygnets and two unhatched eggs. After confirming the eggs weren't viable, the team dispersed the nest and eggs to deter predation from animals like coyotes and raccoons.

Novak said it is a joy to see the new fuzzy faces emerge. But it also begins one of the two busiest points of the year for him — when new cygnets hatch and when they're ready to disperse to new homes as "teenagers" in November.

He took on the role of caring for these iconic birds almost 20 years ago, and he was overjoyed to see the nest do so well. He said half a dozen is about the most offspring a pair can comfortably raise, so this was an excellent outcome.

As of that morning, they were about 72 hours old and all bobbing along, sticking close to mom and dad in the middle of the pond.

Seeing such a healthy clutch speaks to the parents' well-being, considering it takes quite a bit of energy to grow such large eggs.

"I give them extra protein in their feed, because the egg has a white milky liner of calcium, which later forms the bone structure," he explained. "The embryo starts to grow and gets the calcium from the inner shell, and that, in turn, weakens the shell so they can punch through it with the beak. It's amazing."

Novak, inspired by the likes of David Attenborough and other passionate naturalists, said it has been gratifying to care for the local swan population.

He puts just as much thought into the swans' names as the rest of their care, and he drew inspiration for Donald and Lydia from the John Prine love song.

Another Longboat pair, Frank and Andi, also made a nest, and neighbors Frank and Krislyn Lavey said they had seen eggs in the nest at an earlier point. However, those eggs appeared to be missing during a nest check on April 22.

That morning, Novak checked on the hatchlings' overall health and carefully pinioned them to ensure the non-native birds do not migrate, proliferate and encroach on native bird populations.

"If I were not to control the population here and let them spread all over Florida, they could all be taken away," he explained.

Keeping the swan populations separate also helps protect them from the spread of disease. Last December, Orlando residents found nine swans that had died at Lake Eola Park, likely from an avian flu outbreak.

It takes a lot of consideration to find just the right home for the young adult swans.

"The community I'm most proud of is Camelot Lakes," he said. "I just checked in on their cygnets on Sunday. They currently have two lakes and two pairs. This was their first breeding of one pair, and they had three."

Caring for these birds has been a passion project for him, one motivated by wanting to show Longboaters just how special these birds are.

His efforts seem to have gone a long way, as many passersby paused to take in the sight of the new swans with delight.

The Laveys said they have gleefully watched the nests progress over the past month, sharing updates with family members along the way. It's no coincidence that Frank the helper and Frank the swan share the same name, although Novak said the naming credit is a composite of several Franks.

The Laveys have stepped in to help with feeding and watching over the swans when Novak has been away. However, the swan whisperer is still seeking a full-time successor.

Novak said he has procrastinated making any year of caretaking his last. But he hopes to pass along the responsibility to several dedicated caretakers who can share the load.

The new swan family has moved between the pond near the busy roadway and a quieter neighborhood near Longboat Key Fire Rescue Station 92, where the pair has focused on raising the new brood. As of April 25, one cygnet had been culled, while the remaining hatchlings got their first taste of cracked corn from Novak.

As he explained, nature's lessons in foraging for food and avoiding predators are ones the babies need to learn immediately.

"This is no different from raising kids ... except it happens many times faster," he wrote in an update.

More hatchlings may come in future seasons. In addition to the two pairs, the Longboat Key Club is home to a swan bachelor.