Henry the Swan hooks up: An unusual feathered pair

Romance is in the air down by the town docks.

Henry the swan, regular visitor to the harbormaster office for handouts, seems to have found a mate.

If so, it’s a unique relationship. Henry is a big white swan who learned a couple years ago that the harbormaster office is a likely place to find a treat. His companion is what looks to be a barnyard goose less than half his size.

“He showed up with her three or four weeks ago and they are together all the time,” said Richie Earle last month. They even fly off together to the nearby marshes and islands.

Some who’ve seen the unlikely pair figured that Henry had somehow given birth and is now being followed about by a youngster.

Not so say the harbormaster staff. They remain convinced that Henry is not actually “Henrietta,” as one person suggested, but very much a male swan. And they’re guessing that his new companion, as yet unnamed, is female.

“Henry has hooked up,” Mr. Earle said. “We’re not sure where they met but they are inseparable.”

Henry is clearly the provider in the relationship. It is he who knows how to ring the harbormaster office bell to demand a snack — the goose hasn’t figured that out yet.