MK Swan Rescue CIC, Milton Keynes (2026)

03/09/2026

Wishlist thank you, sack of mixed corn arrived yesterday! ❤️🦢

01/09/2026

Wishlist thank you, F10 spray arrived today ❤️🦢

01/09/2026

August was a quieter month for MK Swan Rescue compared with some of the exceptionally busy periods we have seen this year, but quieter certainly did not mean quiet.

Across the month, we recorded 44 rescue, welfare and release cases involving at least 45 birds across seven species.

Mute swans accounted for 24 cases, alongside nine duck cases, four Canada goose cases, four heron calls, two great crested grebes, one coot and one house martin that no one else could assist with.

Fishing tackle remained one of the biggest problems we faced, with 15 separate tackle-related incidents involving 16 birds. Ten of those birds were mute swans, alongside four herons, one duck and one coot.

We also responded to trapped birds, non-tackle injuries, unsafe locations, territorial issues and general welfare concerns. Nineteen cases resulted in birds being released, while nine birds were taken into care.

Not every rescue ends with a bird physically in our hands. Sometimes monitoring, repeat attendance or waiting for a safer opportunity to intervene is the right decision for the bird.

Behind every figure are phone calls, site checks, repeat visits, difficult captures, transport, care, monitoring and teamwork. Thank you to everyone who reports birds in need and supports what we do.

If you would like to help us continue this work, donations are always hugely appreciated:
https://mkswanrescue.org/donate/

Amazon wish-list:
https://amzn.eu/eS1Au3Z

Please follow and share the MK Swan Rescue page to help us reach more people and prevent avoidable wildlife injuries.

01/09/2026

Yesterday, while carrying out a flock check and other rescue work at Willen Lake, the MK Swan Rescue team found yet another job that should never have needed doing.

A large quantity of completely unsuitable material had been thrown down for the birds. Some of it looked like processed snack food, while other pieces more closely resembled polystyrene packing material than anything remotely appropriate for wildlife. Whatever the intention behind leaving it there, none of it belonged on the ground beside a lake and none of it should have been offered to the birds.

The birds clearly did not want it. Instead, it was simply left scattered across the area, turning what somebody may have thought was “feeding the birds” into little more than littering. Our team ended up getting down on the ground and picking it all up so that it could not remain there as a potential hazard.

Please think before throwing food, scraps or anything vaguely food-like towards wild birds. Highly processed human foods are not appropriate wildlife food, and anything resembling packaging material presents an obvious additional risk if swallowed. Uneaten food can also attract vermin, rot, pollute the area and leave somebody else having to clear up the mess.

If you do want to feed the birds at Willen, there is a much better option. The A1 Donuts van sells small bags of appropriate seed mix for just £1, making it easy to offer something suitable rather than bringing scraps or unsuitable food from home.

Feeding wildlife can be a lovely thing to do when it is done responsibly. Dumping unsuitable food beside the water is not kindness, especially when the birds do not even want it.

Our team carries out regular flock checks across Milton Keynes, which means we often find and deal with problems before anybody ever calls us. Sometimes that means rescuing an injured bird. Sometimes it means removing fishing line, litter or, apparently, piles of unwanted “food”.

If you would like to help us continue protecting local wildlife, you can donate at https://mkswanrescue.org/donate/ or support us through our Amazon wish-list at https://amzn.eu/eS1Au3Z. Please also follow and share the MK Swan Rescue page. Every extra person we reach helps us spread the message about responsible wildlife care.

A1 Donuts

31/08/2026

Do you remember this lovely old lady?

When she came into our care from Stewartby, she was in such a poor state that we genuinely didn’t know if she would ever be able to live as a wild swan again. She had no waterproofing at all. She was struggling to walk, struggling to stand, and looked utterly exhausted by life.

She seemed so old and so frail that we had already started thinking about whether we might need to find her a suitable sanctuary placement. We hoped we could turn things around for her, but we also had to be realistic. At that point, a return to the wild felt like something we desperately wanted for her, rather than something we truly believed we would see.

Today proved us wrong.

Today we took her to Willen Lake and gave her back the one thing we had quietly feared she might never have again. Her freedom.

The release could not have gone any better. The moment she reached the water, everything changed. She swam out beautifully, completely at home again, and then came that wing flap.

Anyone who knows swans knows that wing flap. That huge stretch, that shake through the feathers, that moment where they seem to say, in the only way they can, that this feels right.

And after everything this old lady has been through, watching her do it was incredibly emotional.

She is waterproof again. She can walk properly again. She is strong again. And most importantly, tonight she is not a swan in care. She is a wild swan, back on the water, surrounded by other swans, exactly where she belongs.

We will absolutely be keeping an eye on her because, yes, we’ve developed quite a soft spot for this old girl. But this is what rescue is supposed to be. We don’t want to keep them. We want to help them get back to the life they were meant to have.

There were moments when we genuinely doubted this day would ever come.

But it did.

We’ve done everything we can for her. Now it’s over to her.

If you’d like to help us keep giving birds like this old lady a second chance, you can support our work at https://mkswanrescue.org/donate/ or through our Amazon wish list at https://amzn.eu/eS1Au3Z.

And if you’re not already following the MK Swan Rescue page, please do. Every follow and share helps our work reach more people, and helps more wildlife get the help it needs.

31/08/2026

By the time the call came in from Buckingham, the idea of another half-hour drive was not exactly welcome.

It was the end of a very long, very busy bank holiday weekend for the rescue team, and we were tired. Properly tired. But there was a swan stuck behind a fence, separated from her mate, with no water and no obvious way of getting herself back out. So off we went.

The actual rescue was wonderfully simple. Over the fence, secure the swan, get her safely wrapped, then carry her back across to the water where her mate was waiting.

For one slightly terrifying moment, her mate came steaming towards her in full battleship mode and we did wonder whether we had completely misread the situation. She, however, was totally unfazed. She swam towards him, they reached each other and then came that moment.

Recognition.

The tension disappeared. They settled together, started swimming side by side and then began making those beautiful neck-heart shapes.

And suddenly that half-hour drive did not matter at all.

It was worth every mile. Worth the tiredness. Worth dragging ourselves back out again when all we really wanted to do was go home. Because sometimes rescue gives you a moment that just resets everything.

We had great big grins on our faces all the way back to Milton Keynes.

Two swans back where they belonged. Together.

If you would like to help us keep responding when wildlife needs us, even when it comes at the end of a very long weekend, you can support MK Swan Rescue here: https://mkswanrescue.org/donate/

Amazon wish-list: https://amzn.eu/eS1Au3Z

And if you are not already following the MK Swan Rescue page, please do. Every follow and share helps more people find us when a bird needs help.

30/08/2026

Mildred has been detackled. Again.

This morning we were called to Furzton Lake after Mildred, one of the resident swans we know very well, was spotted in trouble with fishing tackle. Allie, Stacey and Angela attended, and once we had her safely secured it became clear just how bad the situation actually was.

Fishing line was wrapped around her body, both of her legs were bound together, and a piece of metal from the tackle had become deeply embedded in her leg. To make matters worse, the embedded metal was underneath her white Darvic ring, which meant we could not safely access or remove it with the ring still in place.

The only option was to carefully remove the Darvic ring first so that we could get to the embedded piece properly. We then worked through the line around her body and legs, removing everything as carefully as possible before taking out the metal from her leg.

She really was not in a good way when we got hold of her. With line wrapped around her body, her legs effectively tied together and metal buried in her leg, there was no question that she needed help.

Once everything had been removed, Mildred was able to get back onto the water and swim away, calling her family away from the horrible humans who had just manhandled her.

Unfortunately, this is far from Mildred’s first encounter with fishing tackle. We have had to intervene with her more than once before, including an earlier incident involving tackle around her face and eye area, and she has since been caught in bait bombs twice as well. These swans are encountering fishing tackle far more often than any wild bird ever should.

Most anglers are responsible and care about the wildlife sharing the waters they fish, but lost and discarded tackle can have devastating consequences. Line that looks insignificant on the bank can wrap around legs, wings, necks and entire bodies, while hooks, clips and other components can become deeply embedded.

Please retrieve every bit of tackle you possibly can, and if you lose tackle that you cannot safely recover, report it. If you see a swan or other waterbird caught in fishing line or tackle, please call us on 07340 227005 rather than waiting to see whether it frees itself.

These rescues rely on specialist equipment, fuel and a team willing to drop what they are doing and get to a bird when it needs us. If you would like to help keep MK Swan Rescue out there doing this work, donations can be made at https://mkswanrescue.org/donate/ and our Amazon wish-list is at https://amzn.eu/eS1Au3Z.

We are also always interested in hearing from people who would like to get involved with the rescue. If you are local and would like to volunteer with MK Swan Rescue, please email [email protected]. Following and sharing the MK Swan Rescue page also helps us reach more people, raise awareness and ultimately get help to more birds.

29/08/2026

Sack of feed arrived safely yesterday thank you, whoever sent it 🦢❤️

28/08/2026

This beautiful, but rather confused, swan found herself somewhere she definitely wasn’t supposed to be today: in a back garden in Newport Pagnell.

The resident quite rightly called us for help, because as lovely as it might be to open the curtains and find a swan outside, back gardens are not really suitable swan accommodation.

Tam headed straight over, safely secured her and gave her a rather unexpected car ride across Milton Keynes to Willen, where she was released into the flock. She settled in immediately and looked perfectly at home, so hopefully she has now decided that lakes are a better option than people’s gardens.

A huge well done to Tam too. She is a fairly new addition to the MK Swan Rescue team, but she has very quickly become someone we know we can rely on. She quietly gets on with whatever needs doing, keeps the welfare of the bird at the centre of every decision, and takes the safety procedures and requirements of every site we work on seriously. Wildlife rescue is not just about catching the bird. Doing the job properly means protecting the bird, the rescuer and the public while working responsibly within the rules of the places that allow us to operate. Tam gets that, and she is doing an amazing job.

Some of these photos were captured by our team photographer Christine, who has a genuine talent for catching the moments that tell the story of a rescue. Admittedly, she also occasionally captures rescuers at angles we might personally have preferred never existed, but we’ll forgive her for that because the photographs she gets of the birds and the work are absolutely worth it.

Another swan safely where she belongs, another brilliant team effort, and hopefully one less Newport Pagnell resident wondering quite how a swan ended up in their garden.

If you would like to support the rescue work we do across Milton Keynes and beyond, donations genuinely make a difference: https://mkswanrescue.org/donate/

You can also help simply by following and sharing the MK Swan Rescue page. Every extra person we reach helps build awareness of when wildlife needs assistance and how to get the right help.

28/08/2026

Two mud ducks are free.

You’ll remember these two. They were found completely encased in mud at a dried-up pond, welded to the spot and unable to move an inch. Their legs were sore from being trapped there for days, and the mud covering their bodies had dried solid, almost like concrete. It took Bucks Fire and Rescue to get them out.

Three survived. Two of them then spent the last couple of weeks in care with our foster carers, supported by several members of the team who have all played a part in getting them to this point. Earlier this week, it was finally time to let these two go. The third is still in care, but we’re hoping they’ll be able to join the others this weekend.

They came out of that transport crate like they had never known mud in their lives. Fully waterproof, strong, healthy and utterly inseparable from each other. The video says it all. Happy flappy wings of freedom, then straight onto the water together, side by side.

Watching them swim away after everything they had been through is exactly why we do this. One broken net pole, a truly ridiculous amount of mud, every exhausted evening and every hour spent worrying about them, all worth it for this exact moment.

This is what freedom looks like.

A huge thank you to the two guys who found them in the first place and realised something was badly wrong, to Bucks Fire and Rescue for getting them out, and to every foster carer and team member who has helped with their recovery since. This one really has been a team effort from start to finish.

If you would like to help us continue rescuing and supporting birds like these, you can donate here: https://mkswanrescue.org/donate/

You can also support us through our Amazon wish list: https://amzn.eu/eS1Au3Z

Please follow MK Swan Rescue on Facebook and help us keep growing the awareness and support that makes this work possible.

MK Swan Rescue CIC

03/09/2026

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31/08/2026

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