Swanning Into Adulthood

Last April, I watched in awe as 7 baby cygnets appeared on the main lake in UCD. Their proud parents, who’ve reared many broods here before, knew the drill. Like Royals emerging from a maternity hospital for the paparazzi, the pen and cob (mum and dad) launched their 7 tiny pompomesque babies onto the lake to the delight and shutter-clicking hunger of the public. Cries of ‘adorable’ rang out as they took tentative steps into water. I watched as they moved en masse aligning themselves in various formations. The straight line, the buddy system, and my favourite, the snooker frame formation. Seemingly aware of the watching public’s thirst for the perfect shot they flowed between these groupings. They also did some free-styling which gave early indications of who the headstrong ones were, and identified the timid one who liked to stay close to Mum.

Mother swans (or pens) are notoriously protective of their young so I knew better than to overstay my visit. I did, however, make frequent detours on my walks over the coming weeks and months to catch glimpses of them as they grew. First things first, I always do a headcount, phew, still 7. Any number of predators could take a shine to them, so I make a point of congratulating the parents on their vigilance.

There was a time when my own offspring would have joined me on this kind of nature walk. There would have been questions, fanciful imaginings, giving them all names. It was just myself and Mr B last April visiting them, our teenage brood firmly at home in the nest, past this kind of family outing.

Childhood passes quickly for cygnets, at 5 months old they’re now going through their ugly duckling teenage phase. Their extreme cuteness gone, their full beauty still to come. The parents wander off from their young and its clear preparations are underway for this little unit to come apart. It is the natural order for swans to leave between 5 and 10 months, once their downy fluff has been replaced by sleek white feathers and when they have their flight skills perfected. Flight training is currently afoot, with some cygnets looking like they’ll be saying adios to their folks any day now.

You’d wonder what the pen and cob are thinking. I’ve had it with this lot, it’s time for them to clear off and make their own way in the world? Why do we put ourselves through this heartache every year only to watch them leave? As soon as they’re all gone, I’ll be going up to the admissions office over there and registering to do an evening course in psychology. We’ll never know.

Sometimes young swans leave all together, sometimes they depart in smaller groups, if one stays on, reluctant to go, the father (cob) will peck it constantly until it either gets the message and leaves, or if not, he will kill it. That seems excessive, yet I can see the wisdom of encouraging emerging adults to fly the nest. Young adults and their parents have so little common ground that they shouldn’t share the same postcode let alone try to coexist in a domestic situation.

Human parenting generally operates a system of unconditional love, a sort of no strings attached bond. Take your time growing up there love, our elasticated patience will stretch. Nature works by a more pragmatic set of rules, more of a terms and conditions apply type system.

The scenes of separation down at the lake are mirrored elsewhere on the campus as hordes of new students have arrived to begin their college life. After the long silence of last year, it is heartening to see and hear the vibrancy they bring to the place. The central mall is full of the buzz of young people. If you find the annual photos of junior infants starting school heart stirring, this site of unleashed adolescence kitted out with new bags and haircuts would renew your faith in life. Most of them are dressed in jeans and sweatshirts to blend in, others styled to the hilt aiming to stand out. All of them looking happy to finally be on campus and beginning this new adventure.

The pillars outside the library are beginning to fill up again with posters inviting new students to come along, join in, sign up, register now, for all manner of upcoming events. Exciting times.

Quickly these new students will settle into life on campus. The year will fly by and before they know it, they’ll be sitting in the library next April, studying for exams, staring out at the lake.  Hopefully they’ll be there to witness a new brood of baby cygnets. I hope the pen and cob get a little alone time between broods to recover and reconnect. As for the new students, I hope they throw themselves into college life and make up for lost time.