Sad News: Hook Presumed Dead

Hook, the cygnet at Town Pond, is missing.

The lone cygnet to appear at Town Pond this season is presumed dead, according to Steven Tekulsky, who holds the informal title of Commissioner of Swans in the village.

Hook, named him in honor of his birthplace, Hook Pond, was seen Wednesday evening on the grass under the watchful eye of his mother and father. Snapping turtles and other predators are likely to blame for Hook's ill fate.

Last year, three cygnets were born round May 22. None of them survived to early adulthood. It was the first year, in as long as Tekulsky could remember, that no cygnets survived.

Hook first appeared at Town Pond in late May.