A swan breeding in the shade of Aurora. Photo: Roelof Kleis You could set your alarm to it: swans breed on campus for as long as we can remember. Always in the same spot in the reeds along the eastern bank of the Forum pond. The couple has settled on their favourite spot once again this year. They have been breeding for a while now. It won’t take long for the eggs to hatch. No news there.
Aurora
But the couple is no longer alone. The pond at the Dassenbos also has breeding swans, although they are not clearly visible to unsuspecting passers-by. In the shade of Aurora, literally, the couple has found a spot far from prying eyes, except for those of Berghege construction company employees.
Both couples share a blatant disregard for the hustle and bustle around them. Construction of the Heat-Cold installation has been taking place right next to the Forum nest for weeks now. There is drilling, digging, and heavy machinery being operated no further than ten metres from the nest. The same is true for the Dassenbos, where Aurora’s construction is well underway next to the nest.
Noise
‘Imperturbability depends on the type of bird’, says ecologist Wieger Wamelink. ‘The swans near Aurora chose to build their nest in that spot while construction was already underway. At Forum, a screen was erected at my request immediately when they started working on the installation. That appears to be sufficient; they don’t seem to mind the noise.’
The fact that the swan couples accept each other’s presence surprises Wamelink. ‘I would have expected the Forum swans to chase the couple away, as they did last year. Perhaps the other couple is family, which would explain their tolerance. Or, the second couple settled when the first couple was already breeding, which left no time for fighting. They cannot abandon the nest.’
I would have expected the Forum swans to chase the other couple away, as they did last year
Wieger Wamelink, ecologist and manager Lumen garden
And, adding to the bustle: a third couple of swans has taken up residence on the campus. They have declared the Orion pond their territory. The couple has started constructing a nest but appears to be in no hurry to establish a family. The pond at Lumen lags behind. No swan has ever been sighted there.
Biologically dead
Wamelink knows why: ‘there is nothing to eat. The pond is biologically all but dead. This is due to the gold carp that have been illegally released by fishers. They ate almost everything in the pond. Barely anything grows there anymore.’ Last year the carp were removed, but the recovery of the pond takes time. Wamelink: ‘and some could still remain.’
The swans are not the only waterbirds in the pond. In the reeds along the banks, there are also some common coot couples, and as of this week, ducklings are paddling around.