Six ducks and two swans have just arrived in my garden. There's no water sources nearby.
I hadn't gotten around to cutting my grass in 2 months due to a hip operation. It's grown a bit long.
I awoke on Tuesday morning to find a massive white swan in the garden and, shortly after, another swan in my overgrown flowerbed.
This was followed by a family of six ducks nestling in the driveway.
I live rural and I have seen badgers and foxes pass by, but there's no water sources close to where I am. I've absolutely no idea why or what they are doing here.
I figured they would leave on their own, but it is now Friday afternoon and they're just snuggling up and picking at bugs in the grass.
I've put out some water in an old bucket that they're drinking from, but otherwise they're just looking at me with suspicion when I go outside.
I understand that swans have some protections afforded to them under UK legislation. Could someone explain these protections to me?
Do I need to proactively do anything about this to meet these obligations? Or is it enough to just passively let them live there?