Yesterday I walked with a friend through the Schlosspark Charlottenburg, where the snow was melting and all of Berlin was out to enjoy the first springlike day of the year. We found a pair of mute swans working busily on building a nest, paying no heed to the swarms of Berliners parading close by.

I took a short video of their work. You can view it here. The female was sitting in the nest, arranging small bits of brush, while the male was breaking reeds and placing them around the rim. We were mesmerized by the graceful, rhythmic movements of their necks.