Jamaica Pond's Marble the swan is dead, likely due to avian flu

Jim Sullivan, who along with several other swan fans, had watched over Marble the swan since his hatching last year in Ward's Pond, reports that Marble was found dead today on the ice at Jamaica Pond, likely a victim of the avian flu that has killed other waterfowl there in recent weeks.

Marble was the only surviving cygnet of 8 that were birthed last year. Roza and I followed him (and his siblings when they were still with us) and his parents at Ward’s as they swam elegantly and sometimes fought off predators. As a cygnet, he survived a snapping turtle attack that had severely injured one of webbed feet. We even got to see him being taught to fly circles around the pond by his dad.

The pond yesterday was surrounded by signs urging people not to feed or touch birds - or remove them from the pond:

Near the small remaining bit of open water, along the Parkman Drive side, somebody had put up hand-written signs on trees, also urging people not to feed or approach the birds there.