ALL EYES are on the black swans in Dawlish as the breeding pair await the arrival of the next generation of cygnets.
The couple has been taking it in turns to sit on the clutch of eggs, believed to number up to nine.
Live camera footage is running to catch the moment the eggs may hatch which is said to be ‘imminent’.
Dawlish town council’s waterfowl warden says the swans a ‘patiently’ sitting on the nest at Tuck’s Plot which was specially created to raise the nesting site above extreme high water levels.
The town council is also asking for ideas for names for the cygnets when they hatch.
The remaining swans have been seen strolling around the Strand over the last few weeks as the parents become more territorial.
Usually the swans do not stray away from the Lawn but with the new arrivals due soon, they have been keeping away.
The waterfowl warden said the other swans were moving onto the Strand and the road some days and evenings but asked if anyone sees them in any danger, to gently shoo them back towards the Lawn.
They were asked to take care and the swans can flap their wings and be ‘slightly annoyed’ so to keep a distance and it must be done ‘very, very gently’.
Road signs have been put in place warning drivers the swans may be in the road.
The town’s iconic swans, which have been a feature since the early 20th century, have had a difficult few years but seem to be bouncing back.
Three years ago this month, the swans had to brave flooding in Dawlish which breached the Brook and the population was also hit by an outbreak of Avian flu which claimed the lives of 11 birds.
But since April 2011, the town has been actively trying to boost the population again since a breeding pair was brought in from Hull.
Now, the nesting site, which was designed to be above any flood level, is home to the doting parents-to-be.
Black swans were brought to Dawlish in the early 20th century, when the first pair were brought over from New Zealand.
They are the unofficial symbol of Dawlish and a major tourist attraction.