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Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Swans are back on the Thames! Numbers of beloved Royal birds shoot up after worrying dip
The number of swans on the River Thames has begun to go up again after a worrying dip, according to an annual survey. The traditional five-day count known as swan upping found 115 young birds this year, compared to just 86 in 2024. There has been a worrying decline in the numbers of the beloved royal birds in recent years - with the drop blamed on avian flu and human cruelty. But the new figures released by the King's swan marker, David Barber, this week suggest the 45 per fall over the past two years has been reversed. However, the numbers are still down on the 155 swans that were counted in 2022. Mr Barber said according to The Henley Standard: 'So far it has been very positive. 'It's an improvement on last year because we've had the bird flu for a few years and that seems to have died out on the Thames now and the breeding pairs suffered badly and now it seems quite good so I'm pleased with it. 'Last year was the lowest number we've had for years and years and years and since I've been doing it and that was only 86 cygnets [across the whole bird count].' Swan upping is the annual census of the swan population and the ceremony is used to count the number of young cygnets, check their health and ensure numbers are maintained. The 'swan uppers' use traditional rowing skiffs for their five-day journey each year upstream along the River Thames to Abingdon Bridge in Oxfordshire. The ceremony dates back to the 12th century, when the ownership of all unmarked mute swans in Britain was claimed by the Crown in order to ensure a ready supply for feasts. The focus is now on conservation and education, with local primary school children invited to Q&A sessions throughout the week. In particular, Mr Barber wants the event to discourage young people from mistreating swans. Recently there have been incidents reported of people shooting the royal birds with catapults and air guns. Swan upping has also become a popular spectacle with crowds gathering along the banks of the River Thames.
BBC News
09-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Goring man's search for birth family 'blew my mind'
Bryan Urbick knew he was adopted from an early up in Seattle by a strict Catholic couple, Mr Urbick knew very little about his birth he had a nagging feeling that he did not "fit in", and, almost six decades later and settled in Goring, Oxfordshire, he decided the time had come for him to find some Urbick knew he was the result of an affair, and his mother, who had three other children, put him up for adoption to save her attempts to contact her in Washington state - which has strict laws about contacting birth family - were unsuccessful."I suspect she didn't want to relive the past," the 64-year-old told BBC Radio Berkshire."[But it was a] tough blow to be rejected again." His search was reignited after the death of his adoptive the funeral, a DNA test revealed he had a lot of cousins, which allowed him to figure out his father was a man called Boyd of Mr Urbick's newly discovered cousins, Craig Moe, told him he had grown up with his father, whom he called Uncle Mr Moe came to visit him in January 2025, the Henley Standard covered it - and from there, things started to snowball."The reporter... rang and said: Bryan, I have the most amazing news," said Mr Urbick.A man had rung the newspaper saying Mr Carter had been a family friend. The reporter put the two in touch - and Mr Urbick discovered the man lived less than four miles away from him, in Whitchurch-on-Thames."It just blows my mind a bit that this would happen so close to us," he Urbick is still yet to meet the man who got in touch, but said he had already learned so much about his dad, who died in said he learned his father was a perfectionist like him, that they both loved boats, and that their handwriting looked the same."And I have weird handwriting," he said. But he said learning more about his dad had been "emotional"."I don't think he ever knew that I existed," he also learned his dad had had another son, who had died aged nine."I wish that I had been able to be a son to him as well," he despite this, Mr Urbick said finding out about his dad had helped him feel connected to his birth family."I never fit and now I feel like 'gosh, I fit somewhere', and that's rather exhilarating," he said. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
