Queen Takes to Water to Count Her Swans

Queen Elizabeth II Witnesses Traditional Swan Census For First Time in 57-Year-Reign

(AP)  Queen Elizabeth II took to the River Thames in a steam launch Monday to watch red-suited boatmen carefully count all her swans.

A Buckingham Palace official said it was the first time the 83-year-old queen, who has reigned for 57 years, was on hand for the venerable practice of "Swan Upping." The annual census of the Thames' swan population dates to the time Britain's royalty jealously guarded its right to own and eat any mute swan - the species of graceful white birds distinguished by long necks and orange and black bills - in the river.

Although Britain has moved on from the days when the birds were prized as royal delicacies, the queen still theoretically has rights over all mute swans swimming on public rivers and lakes. Nowadays, the queen only ceremonially counts the swans on the River Thames.

Every year, a team of boatmen take traditional wooden skiffs flying the royal flag up the waterway to count how many of the graceful birds she owns.

The census helps monitor the health of the swan population. In the 1980s, swan uppers noticed a sharp decline in the population. The culprit was identified as lead fishing weights, which were poisoning the birds. They were banned, and numbers rebounded. This year's count is still going on but in recent years there have been 1,200 to 1,500 adult swans on the River Thames.

Clad in white trousers and red jerseys marked with royal insignia, the Swan Uppers - so-called because they pull the birds up out of the water - catch, measure, weigh, tag, and release them. The colorful exercise has more to do with conservation than cuisine these days. The weeklong census gives ornithologists a chance to monitor the health of the river's swan population and doubles as a lively environmental lesson for children and tourists who come to watch.

The monarch witnessed the ceremony from the restored 19th century steamer Alaska. Dressed in a coral-colored suit and wearing a swan-shaped brooch, she watched as boatmen handled the birds and smiled broadly as a she was shown an orphaned swan by her official Swan Marker, David Barber.

While the Swan Uppers always pay homage to the queen as they pass Windsor Castle, this is the first time the monarch has been present for the count. A spokesman for the queen said her engagement-packed schedule never allowed her time to see it - until now.

"It's one element of life in England she hadn't witnessed, so she decided to witness it herself," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with palace policy.

[rf35]

God save the Queen (and her swans)!

[YuSoWrong]

Of course the NeoCons have nothing to do with it. I just figured someone would ask that eventually.

[rf35]

How sad that you little people have to turn any and every article into a forum for your insane partisan political rants. Do you just sit around all day and gripe because the Democrats hold power for the moment? Face it, neither party is better than the other. They are both corrupt beyond redemption and their members work only to further their own quests for power and money.

[YuSoWrong]

How sad that you are such a tool.

[Carvin82604]

by YuSoWrong July 20, 2009 5:01 PM EDT
Why did the NeoCons force Queen Elizabeth II to count those swans?
Don't we have enough problems at home?

What?

[grantmacdonald]

Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a heroine during the Battle of Britain -- remaining in London to tend to the dead -- and dying.

[YuSoWrong]

Why did the NeoCons force Queen Elizabeth II to count those swans?
Don't we have enough problems at home?