Wildlife carers have rescued hundreds of baby swans found stranded on the ocean in Western Australia this summer.
Each year, the cygnets, which are not yet ready to fly, are abandoned by their parents as the wetlands dry up in and around Busselton in the state's South West.
They wander in search of the nearest source of water and end up stuck at sea with nothing to eat or drink.
It's then up to locals like Brad Fish to head out and scoop the cygnets up into their boats.
"This year we were getting calls daily," he said.
"At one stage, I think the biggest number that we got was 19 in one group."
Hungry, thirsty and sore feet
Once collected from the sea, many of the birds end up in the backyards of volunteers or at a rehabilitation facility operated by Fostering and Assistance for Wildlife Needing Aid (FAWNA).
President Suzi Strapp says not only are the cygnets hungry and thirsty when they're picked up, they often have burnt feet from walking on hot roads.
Once any wounds are healed, the focus is on keeping the birds safe while they regain their strength.
"They're fed spinach and duck-raising food to get them nice and fat so that we can give them the best chance for when they're released," Ms Strapp said.
"We wait for them to grow their feathers just enough to start taking off ... and then we bring them to an appropriate lake or waterway where there's enough food to sustain the population."
This is not a new problem that wildlife carers are facing, they have been assisting these birds for decades.
"In previous years, we've had over 300 in one year, and history has shown that number to reach up to 450," Ms Strapp said.
The group aims to rescue and feed as many of the birds as possible.
"Currently the animals that we have are costing over $300 a day in food before we release them," Ms Strapp said.
How do you catch a swan?
According to Mr Fish, it can be quite challenging to scoop a large waterbird out of the ocean and into a tinny.
"They're quite nimble and they can turn quick so you've got to be fast," he said.
"I try to anticipate where they're going to go.
"Normally they'll turn their head in the direction where they want to go."
Mr Fish tries not to get too close.
"Having a long pole, we can keep a bit of a distance from them," he said.
"Once the net is over them we pull them into the boat and make them comfortable."
While the young swans are agile, Mr Fish says they are often exhausted and hungry.
"They're very light, you can tell that they've had nothing to eat for quite some time," he said.
"They have no fight left in them."
Mr Fish credits his dedication to saving cygnets to his mentor and friend, Mary McGregor-Craigie.
She helped establish FAWNA in the 1980s and has continued to rehabilitate birds in her backyard.
A life lived on the wetlands
Ms McGregor-Craigie grew up with the Broadwater Wetlands just outside her window after her family moved to the area in the 1920s.
She fell in love with waterbirds as a child and used to run school tours on her property to educate the public about the orphan cygnets.
"It is never ending because you get the new generations who've never heard of this before," she said.
"I keep a letter from a boy who wrote me a thank-you note after his excursion here.
"He saw the orphan cygnets that I was looking after and his bottom line was: 'It was the best day of his life.'"
Just west of Busselton, Ms McGregor-Craigie's vast property has dozens of swan nesting sites.
She notes the threat posed by introduced species that prey on the young swans.
"Fox control is also one of the biggest issues," Ms McGregor-Craigie said.
"There's no point in rescuing birds only to feed them to foxes."
How can the public help?
Swans out at sea aren't always a reason for panic.
Ms Strapp says if the birds can fly it is OK for them to be left on the ocean.
"If it's there just enjoying itself and it can fly somewhere else to get food and water, that's fine," she said.
The key, Ms Strapp says, is to look closely at the bird's wing size and work out if it's an adult or baby.
"With cygnets, you'll notice that the wings are almost absent as it's almost the last thing to grow on a swan," she said.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservations and Attractions acknowledges the valuable work wildlife rehabilitators undertake in the community and encourages members of the public to keep an eye out for stranded cygnets.
"Black swans are common in the south-west, with numbers of birds fluctuating every year," a spokesperson said.
"As water levels dry up over the summer, adults leave their young and the non-flying juveniles fend for themselves.
"Anyone who finds displaced or injured cygnets and swans, along with other native wildlife, should call the Wildcare Helpline."
