Tags
birding, birdwatching, British birds, cygnet, Hans Christian Andersen, Mute swan, swan, The Ugly Duckling
You know Hans Christian Andersen’s story of ‘The Ugly Duckling’, right? The unlovely little bird, who is bullied and abused by his farmyard companions because he doesn’t look like the other ducklings, grows up to become not just another duck but, instead, a very beautiful swan. It was one of my favourite stories as a child, perhaps because I was bullied at a young age for wearing spectacles – not common when I was a kid – and I hoped, in vain, for a similar transformation.
Ever since, I have had a special love of swans, and it has been wonderful as the summer has progressed to watch the little Mute Swan cygnets at Roath Park lake grow into their beauty. Here are just a few of the very many photos in my swan album.
earthstar 
I too suffered from name calling when I was a child, being called “four eyes”. I like to think as I grew up that I turned into a beautiful swan (who went without her glasses at times, being vain or maybe scarred by early teasing) 🙂
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Four eyes, goggle eyes, and various other nerdy names. I know exactly how you felt, Joyce. I’ve never gone without mine though – can’t see well enough to do that. 🙂
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Sorry about the bullying. I understand as I experienced it, too, for all sorts of things that apparently made me seem different. It’s usually nothing to do with the victim and all to do with the bullier, but I didn’t know that at the time.
Your swans and cygnets are lovely. 🙂
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Thanks, Val. 🙂
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They are gorgeous! I wore glasses too as a child. (Still do). I wasn’t teased with them fortunately… I suppose it was more common by then. Kids can be cruel.
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Kids can be cruel, even though they don’t necessarily realise what they’re doing. But, looking back, that time and those experience are things that shaped me as a person. 🙂
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