Swan crash-lands in pond

This young swan gave a Telford man a fright when it crash-landed in his half-built garden pond. This young swan gave a Telford man a fright when it crash-landed in his half-built garden pond. Ralph Williams, of Buttercup Close, Stirchley, found the bird in his pond at the weekend. Unable to take off because of a lack of space, the swan had to stay put until RSPCA officers arrived to help. The swan is believed to be a youngster and the RSPCA say it is one of last year's brood of cygnets made to fly the nest by its parents. Read the full story in today's Shropshire Star

This young swan gave a Telford man a fright when it crash-landed in his half-built garden pond.Ralph Williams, of Buttercup Close, Stirchley, found the bird in his pond at the weekend. Unable to take off because of a lack of space, the swan had to stay put until RSPCA officers arrived to help.

The swan is believed to be a youngster and the RSPCA say it is one of last year's brood of cygnets made to fly the nest by its parents.

Mr Williams, in his 60s, said: "The swan decided to land in the pool I am building.

"It must have looked a welcome sight after not being allowed back to where it started life.

"It needed rescuing as my garden does not have room for the 10 strides or more needed for it to take off."

Sally Tarpey, a RSPCA animal collection officer for the Telford area, took the bird away using a swan hook to catch it.After the dramatic rescue it was released back into the wild on the banks of the River Severn at Buildwas.A RSPCA spokeswoman said young swans often encounter teething problems after flying the nest.

She went on: "This one got into a bit of a pickle but it's normal behaviour for adult swans to get restless and shoo their young away to fend for themselves.

"It must have crash-landed in the garden after being sent away. This one was quite feisty and it's never very glamourous for whoever has to catch swans."

The spokeswoman added that the bird was not injured before, during or after the rescue.