Lakeland is hosting a swan sale on Lake Morton
FOX News 13
LAKELAND, Florida. – The first swan sale since 2020 took place in Lakeland on Friday. This comes after Lake Morton’s swan population topped 50, a key figure for the town of Lakeland.
“What happens when we have over 50 swans, we notice the swans start leaving that area to nest, and they go around the neighborhood. When this happens, we have more likelihood of problems with vehicles. We have more swan deaths,” said Kevin Cook, communications manager for the town of Lakeland.
On the south side of Lake Morton on Friday morning, Jose Avila and Yesenia Gonzalez waited excitedly. The Riverview couple hoped to buy two of the 28 swans available for sale.
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“They are so majestic and so beautiful, especially during breeding season, something like no other bird,” Avila said.
A little after 10 a.m. they heard their names called. They would bring home a male and female black swan.
“No, no names yet,” Avila said with a laugh. “We’re so excited we walked in to buy a pair. We haven’t even thought to name them yet.”
After the city’s annual swan gathering last week, they counted 73 swans in total.
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“The birds in this lake are prolific breeders,” Cook said.
It was the first sale of swans since 2020, and a pair of swan cignets cost $600. Due to their social nature, males and females are sold together.
For Avila and Gonzalez, the pair purchased on Friday will join the other four Swans on their Riverview property. They purchased two Lakeland swans in 2020.
“It’s so beautiful, there’s no more beautiful bird in the world,” Gonzalez said.
The 28 swans available have been sold.