Back in November, I posted some pictures of a lone Black Swan cygnet with its parents. The baby was actually very cute, not an ugly duckling at all, unless you’re a duck, I guess. Since then, I’ve been keeping an eye on the young family and hoping that the little one makes it through its first difficult months. So far, so good.

Here’s the little one in December, just a few weeks after I first saw it:

It’s very small next to its parents, and doesn’t look much like a swan:

Now we’re in early February, three months after I first saw the baby, and what a difference! The little one is nearly the size of its parents and already looks more like a swan than a bundle of fluff:

Black Swans face several dangers: foxes, dogs, getting snagged and injured by fishing line, boats, and pollution. I don’t know how many there were in the brood, but it’s great to see one youngster doing well.

This video from December shows the little one bravely battling the choppy waters of the dam where they live. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear the cygnet cheeping continually. The rushing sound is the wind:

Now, in February, the youngster sails majestically around the adult birds. The noisy birds off-camera are Rainbow Lorikeets:

Common name: Black Swan
Scientific name: Cygnus atratus
Approximate length of adult bird: 120 cm
Date spotted: 3 February 2026 (summer)
Approximate location: Sydney’s Northern Beaches, New South Wales, Australia