Spring has brought many seasonal changes to Longboat Key, but one that has delighted residents perhaps more than any other is this week’s hatching of six new mute swans.
Longtime caretaker David Novak and a handful of volunteer helpers gave the swan family a check-up the morning of April 22.
The pair, named Donald and Lydia, made their nest on a pond along Bay Isles Parkway. The team found six healthy cygnets and two unhatched eggs. After confirming the eggs weren’t viable, the team dispersed the nest and eggs to deter predation from animals like coyotes and raccoons…