Pearl Shines for Seven Lakes
BY MAGGIE BEAMGUARD
Insider Editor
No one knows exactly from whence she arrived. But one morning in 2016, when Rodney and Tonya Godwin were enjoying the serene view of Lake Sequoia through the floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the lake, there she was hanging out on their beach: Pearl.
Of course, they didn’t know if that was really her name. But it seemed a fitting sobriquet for the unexpected guest with her elegant neck curving coyly atop handsome, pure white plumage. It was their first encounter with the demure visitor, a swan from who-knows-where.
They posted a picture of “Pearl” on the community Facebook page. Others started sharing sightings and bestowing alternative names upon the graceful water fowl, including Swanee, King George, Lynn (as in Swann for the Steelers fans) and Ron (as in Swanson from the television show Parks and Rec).
The Godwins have a theory about the beautiful bird’s origins. They suspect she may have been a refugee from Woodlake development in Vass following the flooding and dam failure in the wake of Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Woodlake had at least one pair of swans.
One of the prevailing mysteries — other than where it came from — is its gender. After a little internet sleuthing, Tonya observed that the mute swan (Cygnus olor) with its distinctive orange bill had a particular male characteristic, a black bulb on its beak that enlarges during mating season.
Based on this information and its aggressiveness, the Godwins believe Pearl is, in fact, a boy, or rather a cob (male swan). Female swans are known as pens. Rodney thus designated him King Pearl.
While King Pearl initially stayed close to the Godwin property, eventually he spread his wings, around eight feet of them, and expanded his kingdom.
“He claimed more territory the more comfortable he became,” said Tonya. “It’s all his now.”
Independently, others in the community were also curious about King Pearl, and conversations were had among neighbors about whether a mate could be found for the dapper bachelor.
Swans mate for life and, in literature and culture, are recognized as a symbol of love and romance. When one of the pair dies, the other can mourn for years.
Seven Lakes resident Heather Guild shared that, at some point, the North Carolina State Extension Service was contacted to see if it could help confirm the bird’s gender in order to potentially locate a sterile mate. It offered to do free DNA testing if someone could send them some feathers. Guild gathered a collection of about 15 feathers when she could catch Pearl molting.
Unfortunately, after the feathers were sent in, Guild was informed that they really needed breast feathers.
“I told them ‘thank you,’ but short of wrestling with the swan, how do you expect us to get a breast feather?”
Short of another swan happening upon Seven Lakes, a paramour for King Pearl is unlikely. But he seems unbothered by his singleness. After all, he enjoys many admirers. Seven Lakes residents are his personal paparazzi, splashing pictures of him on social media like the refined celebrity he is.
King Pearl adds mystique and dramatic flair to the Seven Lakes landscape.
“He is beautiful to watch,” said Tonya “and he’s very entertaining. He loves to harass the geese. And he is moody. Very moody.”
The community keeps tabs on King Pearl and his antics. He seems to have the same opinion about dogs as he does geese. His massive wing span carries him long and far across the lake with a whomp, whomp, whomp on the surface as he lifts off the water.
“There is a great amount of love for Pearl,” said Guild. “The affection that everybody has — for him or her — is such a sweet kind of thing. Everybody seems to look out for Pearl.”
The office got an alarming phone call last year from a distraught neighbor who saw a swan washed up on the beach of a neighbor’s house with a broken neck.
Guild volunteered to investigate.
“As I get closer and closer and closer, and as I’m about 30 feet away from the swan, I realize it’s one of the plastic swan decoys. It got loose, and its neck snapped off.”
Guild called the office immediately. “It’s not Pearl!”
Huge sign of relief.
With that kind of fan club, King Pearl has all the adoration he could want. In Seven Lakes, it’s a swan’s world.
Contact Maggie Beamguard at maggie@thepilot.com.
