Dozens of people swam in a nature pond on Hampstead Heath on Monday as swans and their 12-day-old cygnets were disturbed among nests of baby birds in the north London park. In one video, a swan was seen poking an unhatched egg with its beak after it fell into the water during the chaos.
London hit a record 35C on Monday, and the heat drove crowds to the pond even though large signs around the water urge people not to swim because it is a wildlife conservation area. Coots, moorhens and swans were seen guarding eggs and young as people splashed around them. The City of London called the scene utterly appalling.
The disturbance landed in the middle of a crucial stretch for breeding birds. The RSPB said it was “a crucial time of year for breeding birds which just want to nest and care for their young in peace,” and warned that swimming in unauthorised places carries a significant risk of disturbing wildlife. It said many species are already under huge pressure and that disturbance can make a parent abandon its nest, putting eggs and chicks at risk.
Swans of Hampstead Heath said the pond had still held eggs waiting to hatch, ducklings and chicks only days or weeks old, and that swans had successfully nested there for the first time in years. By the time of its post, it said the cygnets were 13 days old. The group also said restricting the birds to a small section at the back of the pond made it much harder for them to reach the natural food they need to survive.
The heatwave has left London’s outdoor swimming ponds and lidos busy and booked up, pushing some people toward unauthorised water. But the pond at Hampstead Heath is not just another place to cool off. It is a wildlife conservation area, and the signs around it leave little room for confusion.
Gregory Jones KC said entering other non-lifeguarded water bodies is extremely dangerous, against the bylaws and causes significant harm to wildlife habitats. He said the constabulary would take enforcement action where necessary, including issuing fines or making arrests. Paul Powesland said the scenes were “an almost inevitable consequence” of the destruction of outdoor lidos and the poisoning of rivers across London, adding that it was madness for a city the size of London to have only one set of wil.
For the birds on Hampstead Heath, Monday was not just a hot day. It was the exact point in the season when eggs were hatching, chicks were only days old and parents were trying to keep them alive in a place that had already warned visitors to keep out.
