Swans nest close to main road , Chantal Schlatter-Bättig
People are being urged not to get too close to nesting swans who are tending their eggs just feet from a busy road.
The swans at Whittington castle built their nest right on the edge of the moat by the footpath and now have five eggs.
There are worries that if onlookers get too close, particularly dog walkers, they will be either be attacked by the protective parents or the pair could abandon the nest.
Named Beatrice and Benedick by children at Whittington Primary School, the swans arrived at the picturesque castle last year.
Villager Chantal Schlatter-Bättig managed to photograph the Beatrice gently tending the eggs this week.
Castle manger, Sue Ellis, said she and volunteers were keeping a careful watch on the swans.
"We would ask people to keep their distance and not crowd the swans. Also keep dogs on a tight lead when passing them," she said.
"When Benedict sees people too near to Beatrice it doesn't take him long to get back across the water to protect her and swans can be very fierce.
"We are also very concerned that if they are disturbed then they could abandon the nest and we could lose the chance of having cygnets on the moat."
If all goes well the eggs should hatch in the middle of May providing a draw for visitors.
Whittington Castle has a busy programme of events in the spring and summer from a car boot sale on Sunday and a plant hunter fair on Good Friday to an easter egg trail and a host of re-enactment weekends and even an outdoor adaptation of Much Ado about Nothing on May 26 starring lovers, Beatrice and Benedick.
