ILCHESTER Four cygnets hatched from a nest of seven eggs, above, are the earliest arrivals at the Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset since records were first kept more than 600 years ago.

Traditionally, the Benedictine monks who founded the swannery regard the first hatching as a sign that summer has arrived. This does not usually happen until mid-May, according to detailed records kept by the monks since 1393. The year’s first hatching has come as a boost to the swannery soon after it was given the all-clear after an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu. Ten birds died of the flu, which can be fatal to humans. Staff were given antiflu jabs and Tamiflu tablets as a precaution. Defra set up a control and monitoring zone around the attraction from January until the all-clear was given in March.

John Houston, the swannery’s manager, said of the hatching: “This is wonderful news and has lifted all the doom and gloom that has been about because of bird flu. We have been checking the records and we can’t find a cygnet that has hatched earlier. We can only put it down to the mild winter.” He said it was too early to tell what gender the cygnets were.

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