After Holyrood Park swans make 'emergency take-off', I really hope they are all right – Hayley Matthews

I saw the strangest thing during the week when out driving through the park with baby Oryn.
Hayley hopes the swans at Holyrood Park have not been scared away (Picture: David Cheskin)Hayley hopes the swans at Holyrood Park have not been scared away (Picture: David Cheskin)
Hayley hopes the swans at Holyrood Park have not been scared away (Picture: David Cheskin)

We passed the swans at the bottom of Holyrood Park when all of a sudden they all took flight across the pond like a cluster of jumbo jets pulling themselves up in to the sky on an emergency take off.

I was totally stunned and in awe of these beautiful birds. At first I thought they were maybe off for a few weeks in the Canaries to escape the cold winter – but none of them had any luggage so that theory quickly left me.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Read More
Adorable pictures show swans and their cygnets nesting and swimming in the Water...

I also wondered if someone had let a dog run into the pond but couldn't see as was driving. I quickly parked up in the car park and waved the police down who were sitting on their break and didn't seem to share my concern.

I said to them "well I'm sure I'll see you both in half an hour chasing them about the Royal Mile!"

I did manage to speak to the park ranger who was going to keep an eye out. I told him I was concerned as I saw them all fly off and a baby signet was following them too.

Please keep an eye out for any stray swans, they made need our help. I do hope they all got back safely to the pond as they looked like they were heading for Pizza Express up the town and I can’t imagine anything harder than flying yourself home after a large margarita!

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.