Royal tradition of counting swans begins on the Thames
The King's Swan Marker was leading the "swan uppers" as they checked the health of young swansThe quirky and colourful royal tradition of counting swans on the Thames has begun, for the first time under the insignia of King Charles.The King's Swan Marker, David Barber, says the disease had been "quite disastrous" for the swan population.
There is more than a dash of eccentricity too, with the King's Swan Marker literally wearing a feather in his cap.The swan uppers will count, weigh and measure young swans along the Thames It's an eye-catching as well as swan-catching sight, with the swan uppers wearing red shirts emblazoned with the new cypher of King Charles and their boats carrying royal flags.The Swan Marker is worried about the impact of avian flu, saying that at the end of last year it was "horrendous, terrible to see", with hundreds of swans lost to the disease.But in the July sunshine, at the start of this annual trip up river, he's able to dispel some swan folklore.
Swan upping - so-called says Mr Barber because they go up the river and pick the swans up out of the water - is a traditional summer spectacle on the Thames. There are also 14th Century claims to shared ownership from the Vintners and Dyers livery companies, whose boats also take part in the counting of swans, with their own flags and outfits.
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