Video: The swan holding up traffic to the amusement of passers-by
Motorists and pedestrians were left stunned when a wandering swan blocked traffic by strolling slowly across Ilkeston Road in Nottingham.
Drivers were stuck for up to 25 minutes as they waited to drive around the bird, which landed near Aladdin’s Bikes and Boots on Monday morning.
Nottingham City Transport staff responded, parking a van in the road to create a space for the swan to stand safely while cars continued to drive around it and passers-by crowded around to take photos.
The bird was then led away from the road by a Nottingham City Council worker, who coaxed it to the pavement with bread. It was then collected and taken to safety.
Colin Wilkinson, Senior Conservation Officer for RSPB Midlands, said: “The usual explanation for these quite frequent occurrences is that the road was wet and maybe reflecting the sun and the swan mistook it for a water surface.
“It will have been a mute swan, and these are non-migratory in the UK.
“Mute swans can find it hard to take off from the land without a strong headwind.”
