The lost cygnet was in a confused state
The fluffy baby swan could just be seen behind the construction fencing(Image: Wessex Water)
A stray cygnet has been reunited with its family after builders spotted it on a Bristol construction site.
The baby swan was seen waddling around Wessex Water’s water recycling centre at Avonmouth, which is currently undergoing a £100m expansion.
A team from YTL Construction, which is working on the project, downed tools to help the lost bird get back home – even sending up a drone to search the waterways nearby.
Team member Giedruis Jovaisas was first to spot the disorientated cygnet in the Kings Weston Lane construction area, but no other swans were seen in the vicinity and the animal appeared confused.
Environment and planning advisor Liz Thompson and senior ecologist Jamie Bowkett were sought for advice, who recommended contact with the RSPCA as the rest of the team launched a rescue mission.
They made sure the cygnet was safe in a box to avoid any other misadventures in the meantime. Senior foreperson Tristam Bromfield led a search on the ground and even the air to try to find its clan.
The cygnet that ended up at Wessex Water’s water recycling centre at Avonmouth(Image: Wessex Water)
Site manager Dan Wicks said: “The site team split up and went on a hunt of the local area, both on foot and via one of the drones we use to capture pictures and footage of the site, looking for any signs of adult swans or other cygnets.
“Then while driving down Kings Weston Lane we spotted a bevy of swans. We called the RSPCA back to ask if we should attempt to reunite the cygnet and were advised to be prepared to intervene in case they tried to attack if not one of their own.
The happy reunion(Image: Wessex Water)
“Luckily, the cygnet joined them, was accepted and they went on their way together.’’ A sweet video filmed by the team showed the bird excitedly scurrying towards another two cygnets and two adult swans on a grass bank near the site.
The water recycling centre treats sewage and wastewater from Bristol and areas of South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset. More storage and processing infrastructure is being built there as part of the expansion, including tanks and biological reactors.
Its location is close to several watercourses including Kings Weston Rhine, though it is not clear if that was where the birds had come from. The RSPCA advises: “Baby ducks, geese and swans don’t normally stray far from their parents, so the mother will usually be close to them.
“If the parents don’t return within two hours, contact your local wildlife rehabilitation centre for advice.” Swan Lifeline is an organisation that also has a helpline for anyone who has come across a cygnet that is in distress or has been abandoned.