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The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Inside the centuries-old swan census ordered by King Charles III
Scarlet uniforms cut a striking figure against the River Thames this week as the annual five-day census of King Charles III 's swans, known as Swan Upping, commenced. The traditional event, which began on Monday, sees a young swan gently lifted, measured, inspected, and released, to assess the health of the royal flock. The unique tradition stems from the monarch's lesser-known title, Seigneur of the Swans, or Lord of the Swans. According to ancient lore, this title grants the reigning sovereign ownership of all mute swans found in Britain's open waters. Each year, a dedicated team of carefully selected oarsmen, dubbed 'Swan Uppers', embark on a stretch of the Thames to locate the birds. When a swan family is sighted, the cry of "All up!" rings out, prompting the boats to swiftly encircle the birds for marking and a thorough check for any signs of disease or injury. 'It gives us an indication of what's going on throughout the country,' said David Barber, who wears a scarlet jacket and a white swan feather in his cap and bears the title of King's Swan Marker. 'It's a tradition, but I think it's serving a very useful purpose as well.' Barber has been leading the event for more than 30 years. He is accompanied by a vet and oarsmen dressed in three colors: red for the king, white for the Worshipful Company of Vintners and blue stripes for the Worshipful Company of Dyers. The last two are medieval London trade guilds that were granted ownership of some Thames swans in the 15th century. The census tradition dates to the 12th century, when swans were considered an important food for royal banquets and feasts. While swans are now legally protected from hunting, they face threats from disease, pollution, vandalism and cruelty, Barber said. Their numbers have declined over the last two years, primarily due to outbreaks of avian flu across Britain, he said, adding that only 86 young swans were found during last year's Swan Upping, which was 45 per cent fewer than the year before that. But Barber appeared positive at the end of the event's first day, with a total of 16 young swans recorded. The census continues until Friday, traveling from Sunbury, on the outskirts of London, to Abingdon, 80 miles (130 kilometers) upstream.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Swan upping tradition carried out on River Thames
The annual tradition of counting swans on the River Thames has got under count - known as swan upping - is the royal census of birds on the river and dates back to the 12th is designed to give an idea of the health of their population, and is carried out every began at Sunbury Lock in Middlesex on Monday and will finish at Abingdon Bridge, Oxfordshire, on Friday, passing through a number of places including Henley, Sonning and Caversham. This year's swan marker, David Barber, said the previous two counts had shown a "downturn" in cygnet numbers as a result of bird flu."Fortunately, there has been a decrease in reported cases of the disease in the River Thames area in recent months," he said."Calmer river conditions of recent weeks will also benefit young cygnets as they learn to navigate the waterways with their parents."After the event, he will produce an annual report with the results. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
King Charles' annual swan census begins on River Thames
The River Thames has transformed into a whirl of scarlet uniforms and wooden skiffs for King Charles III's annual swan census. Known as "Swan Upping", the five-day census to assess the health of the king's swans began in London on Monday, local time. One of the monarch's lesser-known titles is Seigneur of the Swans (Lord of the Swans). According to ancient lore, he or she owns all members of the mute swan species found in Britain's open waters. Every year, a team of carefully selected oarsmen — Swan Uppers — are tasked with finding the swans on a stretch of the Thames. When a family is spotted, they shout, "All up!" and the boats quickly surround the birds, marking them and checking for signs of disease or injury. "It gives us an indication of what's going on throughout the country," said David Barber, who wears a scarlet jacket and a white swan feather in his cap and bears the title of king's swan marker. Mr Barber has been leading the event for more than 30 years. He is accompanied by a vet and oarsmen dressed in three colours: red for the king, white for the Worshipful Company of Vintners and blue stripes for the Worshipful Company of Dyers. The last two are medieval London trade guilds that were granted ownership of some Thames swans in the 15th century. The census tradition dates back to the 12th century, when swans were considered an important food for royal banquets and feasts. While swans are now legally protected from hunting, they face threats from disease, pollution, vandalism and cruelty, Mr Barber said. Their numbers have declined over the past two years, primarily due to outbreaks of avian flu across Britain, according to officials. Mr Barber said only 86 young swans were found during last year's Swan Upping, which was 45 per cent fewer than the year before that. But the king's swan marker appeared positive at the end of the event's first day, with a total of 16 young swans recorded. ABC/Reuters
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
King Charles' annual swan census begins on the River Thames
Swan uppers hold mute swans during the ancient tradition of Swan Upping, the annual census of the mute swan population on the River Thames in London, Monday, July 14, 2025.(AP Photo/Thomas Krych) LONDON — Scarlet uniforms flashed against the riverbank. Wooden skiffs glided in formation. A young swan, gently lifted from the water, was measured, inspected and released. The annual five-day census of swans belonging to King Charles III – known as Swan Upping -- began Monday on the River Thames to assess their health. One of the British monarch's less-known titles is Seigneur of the Swans — Lord of the Swans — and according to ancient lore, he or she owns all members of the mute swan species found in Britain's open waters. Every year, a team of carefully selected oarsmen, known as Swan Uppers, are tasked with finding the swans on a stretch of the Thames. When a family is spotted, they shout, 'All up!' and the boats quickly surround the birds, marking them and checking for signs of disease or injury. 'It gives us an indication of what's going on throughout the country,' said David Barber, who wears a scarlet jacket and a white swan feather in his cap and bears the title of King's Swan Marker. 'It's a tradition, but I think it's serving a very useful purpose as well.' Barber has been leading the event for more than 30 years. He is accompanied by a vet and oarsmen dressed in three colours: red for the king, white for the Worshipful Company of Vintners and blue stripes for the Worshipful Company of Dyers. The last two are medieval London trade guilds that were granted ownership of some Thames swans in the 15th century. The census tradition dates to the 12th century, when swans were considered an important food for royal banquets and feasts. While swans are now legally protected from hunting, they face threats from disease, pollution, vandalism and cruelty, Barber said. Their numbers have declined over the last two years, primarily due to outbreaks of avian flu across Britain, he said, adding that only 86 young swans were found during last year's Swan Upping, which was 45% fewer than the year before that. But Barber appeared positive at the end of the event's first day, with a total of 16 young swans recorded. The census continues until Friday, traveling from Sunbury, on the outskirts of London, to Abingdon, 80 miles (130 kilometres) upstream. Lydia Doye, The Associated Press
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
King Charles' annual swan census begins on the River Thames
Scarlet uniforms flashed against the riverbank. Wooden skiffs glided in formation. A young swan gently lifted from the water was measured, inspected, and released. The annual five-day census of swans belonging to King Charles III – known as Swan Upping – began Monday on the River Thames to assess their health. One of the British monarch's less-known titles is Seigneur of the Swans—Lord of the Swans—and according to ancient lore, he or she owns all members of the mute swan species found in Britain's open waters. Every year, a team of carefully selected oarsmen—Swan Uppers—are tasked with finding the swans on a stretch of the Thames. When a family is spotted, they shout, 'All up!' and the boats quickly surround the birds, marking them and checking for signs of disease or injury. 'It gives us an indication of what's going on throughout the country,' said David Barber, who wears a scarlet jacket and a white swan feather in his cap and bears the title of King's Swan Marker. 'It's a tradition, but I think it's serving a very useful purpose as well.' Barber has been leading the event for more than 30 years. He is accompanied by a vet and oarsmen dressed in three colors: red for the king, white for the Worshipful Company of Vintners, and blue stripes for the Worshipful Company of Dyers. The last two are medieval London trade guilds that were granted ownership of some Thames swans in the 15th century. The census tradition dates to the 12th century when swans were considered an important food for royal banquets and feasts. While swans are now legally protected from hunting, they face threats from disease, pollution, vandalism, and cruelty, Barber said. Their numbers have declined over the last two years primarily due to outbreaks of avian flu across Britain, he said, adding that only 86 young swans were found during last year's Swan Upping, which was 45 percent fewer than the year before that. But Barber appeared positive at the end of the event's first day, with a total of 16 young swans recorded. The census continues until Friday, traveling from Sunbury on the outskirts of London to Abingdon 80 miles (130 kilometers) upstream.
