Today we witnessed Swan Upping for the first time and I feel extremely honoured to have been able to see this event. My little one also had the opportunity to stroke one of the cygnets, who was a couple of months old and the Swan Uppers took the time to explain what they were doing and were great with the children (and adults) observing the historic event. Swan Upping takes place annually for a week in July and this year takes place every day until Friday 20th July 2018. The Queen’s Swan Warden collects data on the swans in the River Thames and checks the health of the cygnets.
Swan Upping is a fantastic sight to see as a number of rowing skiffs with Swan Uppers travelling down the river, wearing their scarlet uniform of Her Majesty the Queen. The Swan Uppers are from the Vintners’ and Dyers’ livery companies and they travel through sections of the River Thames to weigh, check and tag swans before releasing them back onto the water.
If you visit The Queen’s Swan Marker website you can see where the Swan Upping will be taking place throughout the rest of the week.
