Mute?

During our stroll around Straw's Bridge this morning, we were impressed by the Mute Swans swimming around there.  The icy wind was blowing across the water, chilling us to the bone but the swans were unconcerned - until they attempted to take off for another lake.  One swan gave up and touched down a few yards further on.  The others managed to execute a sharp turn and got just enough height to clear the tree tops and depart.

Famous for being among the heaviest flying birds in the world, their title 'Mute' is not really warranted.  They do in fact produce a soft, grunting, 'snort' and they were all demonstrating this quite freely this morning.

There can be few birds more graceful and magnificent than a Mute Swan.