Lake Morton's Swans Get Rounded Up for Their Annual Checkup Oct. 6-7

The City of Lakeland will pull its famous swans out of Lake Morton for their once-a-year physical starting at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, when Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts staff head out by boat to herd the birds into holding pens for the night. It is the 46th time the city has done this, and it is one of the few things Lakeland does that no other city in Florida can claim.

The exams happen the next morning. At 7 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, veterinarians from My Pet's Animal Hospital will weigh and check each swan, and microchip any young cygnets, before the whole flock goes back onto the lake. Anyone driving past Lake Morton those two mornings will likely see the boats out working, and the birds penned along the lake's south side overnight.

The tradition traces back to a gift from British royalty. In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II gave Lakeland a pair of swans, and the flock that descended from them has been part of the city's identity ever since, earning Lakeland its nickname, Swan City. As the population grew, so did the need for organized care, and the city started the annual roundup in 1980.

Who looks after the swans

The birds have had a short list of caretakers over the decades. Dr. W.G. Gardner, known locally as Lakeland's original "Swanvet," handled their care in the early years. Dr. Patricia Mattson took over after him. Today the job belongs to My Pet's Animal Hospital, a full-service, AAHA-accredited clinic on Drane Field Road that donates its veterinary time every year at no cost to the city.

Parks and Recreation Director Bob Donahay said the swans have become part of family life in Lakeland across generations, calling the roundup more than tradition, a checkup that keeps the flock healthy. He said the city spends roughly $10,000 a year caring for its domestic swans, and credited the free veterinary partnership with making that possible.

For most residents, the roundup is simply a good excuse to walk the loop around Lake Morton next week and watch a piece of local history happen in real time. The city has not said whether it will post updates on flock numbers once the exams wrap up Wednesday, but past years have typically brought word of how many cygnets got their first microchip.

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Header photo: Butter142 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)