A ‘much loved’ Castletown swan has died.

Manx BirdLife tutor Tim Earl said the swan was seen dead above the river close to the Peggy Museum.

‘It was clear that the bird was old,’ he said. ‘Her feet were worn and calloused.

‘I learned later that she was ringed (blue ring S23) as an adult in September 2011. She has been in Castletown for at least 12 years and was much loved by residents.’

The female swan has raised cygnets in the town’s harbour since 2011, according to local observers.

Mr Earl went back to see what was happening at her old nest and found a cob (male swan) standing guard over it. He was the dead bird’s long term mate.

A pen (female swan) was sitting, presumably on eggs.

Calf of Man Bird Observatory warden Aron Sapsford said the male arrived in the island with other swans in 2011 and was ringed (blue Y23) in Ramsey that year.

The cob was first seen in Castletown harbour in April 2012 but did not settle there until 2014 according to sightings of the bird sent in to the observatory.

Mr Earl said: ‘It is likely that his old mate became unable to lay and the cob paired up with his new pen this year.

‘It’s a little bit like the avian equivalent of The Archers as the saga rolls on. The old girl will be missed but another character has taken over from her.

‘That the two birds were ringed (maybe the new pen also) and had interesting histories shows the value of colour ringing birds and the citizen science of recording sightings.’

The swan ringing project is part of the North West Swan Study Group project and is carried out under licences issued by the British Trust of Ornithology and the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.

The dead bird has been collected by a DEFA officer to be disposed of safely.