More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
What do singers Anita Harris, Suzi Quatro and America's First Lady Jill Biden all have in common? They share their birthdays with Pickles the swan who lives at Leeds Castle.
Pickles celebrates his 30th next Thursday but was given an early taste of his cake today by the castle's keepers Mark Brattle and Hannah James.
Watch as Pickles the honking swan comes when he's called
Staff normally celebrate Pickles Day every year with a chorus of Happy Birthday shouted or sung from the bank of the lake. But this year they have baked him a special cake made from his favourite swan food.
Pickles, a Whooper swan with black legs, is easily recognisable by his large yellow bill. He is also the noisiest resident on the castle’s moat thanks to his loud honk. Castle staff also believe he may be the oldest swan in Britain.
Whooper swans normally live to 10 years in the wild and up to their late 20s in captivity. Pickles moved to Leeds Castle in 2013 when he was 22.
Mark Brattle, the castle's wildlife manager, said: "When he arrived there was little known about him other than he had hatched sometime in early June 1991. No exact date had been given, which meant Pickles didn’t have a birthday. So the castle’s falconry and wildlife team decided to assign him a day and June 3 became known at the castle as Pickles Day."
Pickles can often be seen swimming across the castle’s ancient moat or on the lake, known as the Great Water, surrounded by other wildlife including Mute, Trumpeter and Black swans. Whooper swans can grow up to 1.6m long from bill to tail and weigh up to 11kg. They undertake one of the longest sea crossings of any swan, migrating around 1,128 miles (1,815km) to Britain from Iceland.
Mr Brattle said: "Being an older swan, Pickles is treated slightly differently. He's not a big fan of eating with other swans. He much prefers his own bucket of food on the bank next to a bucket of water to wash it down with. Perhaps he’s a little spoilt but being the oldest swan he needs a bit more care and attention."
Mr Brattle added: "He’s easily spotted by his loud honking call and his comical run towards his favourite member of staff, Hannah James. He seems to have taken a special liking to from the first day he arrived. He can often be seen having cuddles with her throughout the day."
Income from admission tickets is used to run and preserve Leeds Castle and its estate which is off junction 8 of the M20. It recently paid host to Michael Portillo for an episode of his TV programme Great British Railway Journeys. For castle details, visit www.leeds-castle.com
Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.
