Counted out... now Royal swan census called off
IT IS an historic Royal ceremony that has taken place annually for the last 900 years.
But for only the second time ever, the traditional practice of counting the swans on the River Thames has been cancelled.
The Swan Upping census lasts for five days and was due to take p l a c e b e t we e n S u n b u r y - o n - Thames and Abingdon from July 13 to 17. But due to the lockdown, the ceremony will not go ahead this year.
It is hugely popular with people in Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, who flock to the Thames to see the Royal Swan Uppers at work.
Dressed in their traditional scarlet uniforms and rowing in skiffs, they herd the swans and their cygnets between the boats so they can be measured and ringed.
Led by the Queen’s Swan Marker David Barber, it is a noisy, splashy, fun day.
In normal circumstances, schools are invited to meet the Swan Uppers on their journey up river when pupils can view cygnets at close quarters and ask questions.
Swan Upping dates back to the 12th Century when the Crown claimed ownership of all mute swans, which used to be considered a delicacy.
The ceremony now serves a wildlife conservation purpose rather than a culinary one.
The five-day census normally involves cygnets being weighed and measured, examined for signs of injury or disease, and taken for treatment if necessary. The young birds are ringed with identification numbers that denote whether they belong to either the Vintners’ or the Dyers’ livery companies – organisations that began in the medieval era – and are then set free. All Crown birds are left unmarked.
In 2012, the ceremony was cancelled for the first time in its history due to flooding that made the Thames dangerously fast-flowing, forcing boats to be banned.