Longboat Key Kiwanis Club shares swan stories

"The Swan Guy" David Novak spoke at the Kiwanis Club meeting on March 2 at the Lazy Lobster.

By Lesley Dwyer
| 4:45 p.m. March 8, 2023

David Novak prepares to release Chuck in November 2022.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

It’s true you learn something new every day. At the latest Kiwanis Club meeting, members learned how to catch a swan.

“Chase them out of the water. Get them on land. Run them down to where you exhaust them. Get on top of them — don’t break anything when you get on top of them — and grab the neck,” said David Novak.

Also, be careful the wings are tucked in when you hug them from behind and tilt them up so their feet can’t reach you. Novak raised his forearms to show the audience the scars of his experience. For the last two decades, he’s been caring for Longboat Key’s royal flock of swans, who live on the Longboat Key Club's golf courses and waterways.

When Michael Garey introduced him at the meeting, he said two words came to mind to describe Novak: dedication and commitment.

Ed Krepela, Lynn Larson, Chris Sachs, David Novak, Jim Whitman and Michael Garey

In addition to being the island’s unofficial swan keeper, Novak is also a veteran and an entrepreneur. He received a purple heart for his service in Vietnam, but has no prior avian experience. Yet he checks on his “kids” daily. Right now, he’s feeding them a supplement that’s given to laying hens to produce stronger eggshells.

Unfortunately, a perfectly manicured golf course isn’t the ideal habitat for swans, so it takes some work to keep them happy, healthy and breeding. Novak had no idea what he was getting himself into when he bought the house next to Alan Stone in 2003 but has completely embraced his now moniker, “The Swan Guy.”

“It’s kind of like, once you start something,” Novak said, “you made your bed. You’ve got to lie in it.”

David Novak feeds Chuck and Greta in May 2022.

Beyond supplementing their diet, Novak gathers nest supplies and performs the pinions himself. A pinion is a procedure to remove the flight feathers. By clipping the tip of one wing, the swan is left unharmed and off balance. The birds are also kept safe from inland predators, mainly alligators.

Members had their hands up for questions following Novak’s presentation. When are the next cygnets due? By May 1. If not Longboat Key, where is a swan’s natural habitat? Eastern Europe. What about inbreeding? It doesn’t typically cause problems in birds. Why does the state require that one wing be clipped? The swan’s territorial nature lands them in the same category as a python — invasive.

The Kiwanis Club is also asking for new members. The next meeting will be held 5 p.m. on March 16 at The Paradise Center.

The royal pain of how it started

It’s only fitting these swan descendants live in style at the Longboat Key Club. The original mated pair were a gift from Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 to the city of Lakeland after the city’s original population of swans died off in 1954.

“Their early migration to Florida came from seasonal residents wanting to have swans as pets on or near their winter homes,” the city’s website reads. “By 1926, Lakeland had a swan population of 20 and the city established a Swan Department to help oversee their care.”

But veterinarians can only do so much in the face of predators and disease. The population was decimated. So a former resident, who was living in England at the time, wrote to the queen at Windsor Castle.

Margie and Chuck in 2020.

One of the queen’s many titles was “Seigneur of Swans,” and she granted the request. A good Samaritan donated $300 for licenses and shipping, and a new chapter was almost started.

According to the city’s website, “An oil barge sank and contaminated the royal flock including the two swans bound for Lakeland. The process to restore the oil-soaked birds to good health took over five months.”

On Feb. 8, 1957, the swans finally made their royal entrance. They arrived by air, were driven to Lake Morton by motorcade and greeted by hoards of adoring fans, but oopsie, nobody clipped their wings. The male was gone by morning.

He was eventually recaptured and clipped; then, the new chapter began. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department still monitors and cares for the swans today. Each year, they have a Swan Round-up to get them examined by veterinarians.

The first breeding pair from Lakeland, George and Gracie, arrived on Longboat Key in 1995 after Stone bought them at auction for his 40th wedding anniversary.

author

Lesley Dwyer

Lesley Dwyer is a staff writer for East County and a graduate of the University of South Florida. After earning a bachelor’s degree in professional and technical writing, she freelanced for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Lesley has lived in the Sarasota area for over 25 years.