There was much excitement at the Bishop's Palace in Wells yesterday (May 2) as the first cygnet was spotted on the nest of the famous palace swans.

James Cross, head gardener at the palace who is currently on lockdown in the 14-acre historic site, noticed movement on the nest early yesterday morning and the arrival was confirmed by Moira Anderson, who cares for the palace swans, as she was glued to the 24-hour Swan Cam provided by the palace website.

The palace swans, Grace and Gabriel, have made their nest in an awkward position this year, on an island in the moat, adjacent to the "willow bridge" where visitors would normally cross the moat.

Luckily for the pair, the site is closed to visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic, so they will have peace and quiet while their cygnets hatch.

This year, Grace has laid nine eggs, so more cygnets are expected to appear over the next few days.

Viewers can enjoy watching the nest at any time of day or night with the 24-hour Swan Cam, which is at the bottom of the home page of the palace website (www.bishopspalace.org.uk), and if they are lucky, they might just spot a cygnet hatching.