A pair of injured whooper swans have hatched a brood of five cygnets this summer at the WWT Welney Wetland Centre.

The swans, who first bred on the reserve six years ago, are unable to return to their natural breeding grounds in Iceland due to wing injuries.

This is the largest brood that the swans have had since they started breeding on the reserve.

Whooper swans are a familiar sight in Fenland each winter as thousands of the birds fly south to escape the freezing temperatures.

Leigh Marshall, centre manager at WWT Welney, said: “It is great to see these birds breeding here and we look forward to watching the family grow.

“We hope to ring these young swans during the summer so that we can follow them in future years and find out what happens to the young of this pair.”

This particular pair of swans have raised six cygnets from three breeding attempts.