I have never seen a swan before! Seriously, at least not that I can remember anyway. As I was walking by a lake near the office in Congers, the swans stopped me in my tracks! I am sure it sounds silly to those from the area. But I was amazed just how beautiful they are up close (maintaining a distance as they can be quite temperamental – as I was warned by a fellow pedestrian). The scene reminded me of fairy tales from far off places I remember from childhood.

I grew up in a rural town on a farm, so both wildlife and farm animals are not foreign to me. But birds and I have a history and the fairy tale ended when I was two and a half. We had several roosters on the farm that were very territorial and one afternoon one of those roosters attacked, chasing me into a lilac bush. As you can imagine, traumatizing for a kid who wasn’t much bigger than the rooster at the time. From then on, I’ve always been very weary of birds and absolutely afraid of chickens.

I literally couldn’t even bring myself to post a picture of a real rooster here!

This is precisely why I was enchanted by the swans.  I have a long-standing fear of birds and thought I would be the last person to stand in awe of one and ‘gasp,’ take its picture!  If there was ever a bird “Born to Enchant,” swans are it.  They even have their own constellation, Cygnus, also known as the northern cross. 

If you need a quick break and are near the Congers office, take a minute or two to find a lake and I’m sure you’ll stumble upon a bevy of swans.  You won’t regret it. 

Amy Steffen, Holiday Operations Manager