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Gwen Keane Author and Journalist |
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Email Gwen <------> Visit her Website <-----> Follow her Blog <-----> Order "Swan Wait" |
- How the Book came to be
Gwen's September 2011 Interview
On a summer morning in 2003, two adult mute swans and their cygnet sailed down Virginia’s Indian Creek and into the lives of Gwen Keane and Bill Balderston. In the upcoming years Gwen and Bill would welcome more of these graceful birds to the dock of their waterside home, and with each swan pair came new lessons to learn, new secrets of swan life to discover. Comprised of the couple’s photographs, memories and insights into the delicate relationship between mankind and the natural world, Swan Wait is the humbling and heart-warming record of two humans and their unlikely teachers.
- From The Forward
A mute swan can live thirty to forty years in
captivity. They weigh up to fifty pounds and have flight speeds of fifty to
fifty-five miles per hour, producing a musical wing beat. Mute swans are
powerful birds, known for protecting their lifetime mate and cygnets (their
offspring). Like all creatures, mute swans have natural enemies. A fox will
steal swan eggs or kill young cygnets. Other enemies include raccoons, seagulls
and otters. Even crabs and turtles pose a danger to young cygnets, preying on
them from below and pulling them under water.
In the beginning of our swan journey, my husband and I saw only the external
beauty of the mute swan. Over time we discovered the intelligence of these
territorial creatures. Devoted mates, mute swans exhibit a family unit similar
to humans. The males help raise the young, while the cygnets stay close to their
parents during their first year, learning migratory routes and feeding
locations.
Click title or Book Jacket to Order a signed copy of "Swan Wait" -- A great coffee table book for gift or home
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gwen Keane was born and raised in the Northern Neck of Virginia. As a child, growing up in the small community of Ditchley, she explored the surrounding nature and wildlife. Although she left her rural life style in 1967, she returned regularly.
Gwen is a graduate of Trinity University in Washington, D.C. and Georgetown University. In 2003, she retired from federal service and returned to the Northern Neck, where she lives with her husband and pets.
Gwen and her Maltese, Isadora, who kayak together, enjoy their close connection to nature and local wildlife.
