By Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen, May 28, 2015
The long winter is over for Ottawa’s 11 Royal swans, who were released Thursday
for their annual summer fun and frolic on the Rideau River. The spring tradition
dates back 47 years. The white mute swans are direct descendants of swans given
to Ottawa by the Queen in 1967 to mark Canada’s centennial year, while the dark
Australian black swans are descendants from a pair obtained in 1974. via
Release the swans! Royal birds set free on the Rideau | Ottawa Citizen.