For someone from South Asia’s high-temperature tropical zone, visiting the Swedish capital in March 2023 was both exciting and challenging. So much snow fell during the first half of March in Stockholm that negotiating the icy roads became difficult, with piles of snow creating a white motif across the city. Orange weather alerts advised people to remain indoors unless travel was essential.
Sporting thick coats, hoods, and hats, I ventured out from the cosy warmth of my hotel room into the freezing conditions of Stockholm on one of those early March days to explore the city—particularly Gamla Stan, the colourful old town of the Swedish capital. The narrow, winding cobblestone streets, lined with buildings in varied hues, give Gamla Stan its distinctive character. It is home to the medieval Storkyrkan Cathedral and the Swedish Royal Palace—subjects I will probably write about in a separate episode.
Today’s travelogue is dedicated to the beauty and elegance of the mute swans and ducks frolicking in the waterways near the Royal Palace. Winds blowing in from the archipelago stung my face, yet I stood mesmerized by the grace of a bevy of mute swans fluttering their white plumage in the Norrström River channel, a central waterway in Stockholm. Norrström, one of Europe’s shortest rivers, connects Sweden’s third-largest freshwater lake, Lake Mälaren, with the Baltic Sea.
This area is known for attracting large numbers of swans and other birds during the winter months. In the photographs, readers can see a bevy of swans and ducks gathered in the frigid water near a snow-covered bird-feeding station.
The city government has maintained a long tradition of feeding birds in this area every winter since 1955, ensuring they have access to food during the colder months when the water might otherwise freeze over. This practice has made the area a unique and popular spot for experiencing Stockholm’s winter cityscape alongside thriving birdlife.
As I walked past the Royal Palace and the Swedish Parliament House and stood by the stream, I noticed ducks and a bevy of mute swans in the water. Their plumage appeared remarkably white, soft, and silken. Swans maintain their feathers by spreading a special oily preen secretion, released from a gland at the base of their tails. This oil makes their feathers highly hydrophobic, allowing dirt and water to slide off easily. Their feathers also provide insulation, and they are often seen tucking their bills under their plumage to keep warm. Swans can be observed in the water while foraging, swimming, or tipping forward to reach underwater plants.
There are six to eight known species of swans. The swans I saw near the Royal Palace waterways were of the mute swan variety. Curious about their name, I later learned that among swan species, mute swans are considered relatively quieter—though not truly “mute” in the literal sense. They are less vocal than other swans, hence the name. Despite this, they can make loud honks and snorts while flying.
Mute swans can also be highly aggressive when defending their nests and offspring, using their wings to strike perceived threats. They are capable of producing a hoarse, trumpet-like call to protect their territory. However, this sound does not carry as far as the calls of other swan species, which contributes to their “mute” designation.
Standing by the bank of the channel, with ducks and mute swans foraging and frolicking in the water close by, the Baroque architecture of the Royal Palace’s eastern façade in the historic Gamla Stan remained visible in the distance. Amid the chilly Stockholm weather, a sudden break in the clouds allowed sunlight to peek through, bringing a welcome touch of warmth and making the moment even more enjoyable and memorable.
These birds are common and beloved in Stockholm, frequently seen in its lakes, fjords, and archipelago. They often use wind currents for swift travel and form close family groups, with young cygnets sometimes riding on their parents’ backs. These distinctive white swans, with their orange bills and black knobs, are native to Eurasia and are commonly found in lowland freshwater lakes, estuaries, bays, wetlands, and ponds across Europe and parts of Asia. In the Stockholm area, mute swans hold historical significance, having been protected by royal decree as early as the 17th century following intensive hunting during the Middle Ages.
There are several species of swans, including the black swan, trumpeter swan, tundra swan, whooper swan, little swan, coscoroba swan, and mute swan. Swans are the largest extant members of the waterfowl family Anatidae and rank among the largest flying birds in the world. The largest living species—such as the mute swan, trumpeter swan, and whooper swan—can grow over 1.5 metres in length and weigh more than 15 kilograms. Compared to their close relatives, the geese, swans are significantly larger, with proportionally longer necks and larger feet.