STRANDED hundreds of miles from “home” with the real prospect of never being able to get there again, an injured swan had settled beside the Wye to see out its time.

But, as the pictures show, this swan’s luck was in.

By now, the Hooper swan should have been back in Iceland.

But, for the past few weeks, the bird had barely moved from the spot where he was first seen just downstream of Breinton.

A birdwatcher who had kept an eye on the swan over that time called Swan Rescue South Wales (SRSW) with his concerns.

And a rescue was duly mounted.

Hereford Rowing Club offered a launch and driver that could get SWSR volunteer Peter Martin up close.

“The swan simply couldn’t fly, barely able to get off the water’s surface let alone reach Iceland – he hardly had the stamina to move,” said Peter.

So that made the “catch” much easier with only cursory resistance offered as a special hook was slipped around the swan so it could be pulled into the launch and put into a protective pack.

The swan has since spent the past week at a sanctuary near Droitwich and will probably stay there.

 “We don’t know exactly why this swan couldn’t fly, it may have been injured in a fight or a collision with power lines, but recovery to the point where it could be set free is unlikely," said Peter.