THESE beautiful pictures of a swan family were taken by one of our camera club members Shohini Dutta Kanungo.

Mute swans live in the UK year round and are one of the most familiar sights on our waterways and lakes.

They generally mate for life and are known to be excellent parents, returning to the same nesting site year after year.

Pens lay between five and 12 eggs and to help incubate them more efficiently will pluck the feathers from their breast to line their nest and put them in direct contact with their skin.

Cobs will take a turn on the nest while their mates go off to find something to eat and when the babies are old enough to go out on the water their parents will pull up tasty duckweed for them.

The mums can often be seen giving their babies a lift while dads ward off threats.