A sad swan has been crossing a road every day to stare at its own reflection in the windows of a school following the death of its mate.<br /><br />The solitary swan, called Sally, is thought to be in mourning following the tragic death of her partner Harry in 2022.<br /><br />Her poignant daily ritual has captured the hearts of pupils at Telford Park School in Stirchley, Shrops.<br /><br />She is a regular visitor and is often spotted waddling across the zebra crossing on Grange Avenue to reach the school.<br /><br />Sally then gazes at her reflection of the classroom windows.<br /><br />Residents living nearby said Sally and Harry used to be seen in Mad Brooke pool across from the school.<br /><br />One said: "Sally goes to the school every day. She and Harry were very close but when he died she went into mourning.<br /><br />“It’s gut-wrenching to think of her torment but obviously looking at her reflection is giving her some comfort while she grieves for Harry.<br /><br />“Sally’s a well known face around here and everyone at the school loves her.”<br /><br />School leaders said they had made efforts to have the swan collected by a sanctuary but without luck.<br /><br />A spokesperson said: "It has been coming for about a year now.<br /><br />"It is a female and we have spoken to the RSPB and Wildlife Trust but they said there is not much they can do to help. <br /><br />“They have told us not to approach her and not to feed her.<br /><br />“It is heartbreaking. She comes every day and spends all day staring at herself at the reflective band along the bottom of the school building.<br /><br />"She does go back to the pond every night but each morning she comes back.”<br /><br />Experts said birds often displayed “grieving” behaviour when they suffered a loss.<br /><br />An RSPB spokesperson said: “Swans do form monogamous pairs and generally remain together for life. <br /><br />“Should one die, ‘grieving' behaviour is often observed so this is normal and to be expected.<br /><br />"The pen may eventually leave and join other swans, eventually pairing up with a new male, but she may also end up living alone forever too. <br /><br />“Our advice is always to keep a distance from wild birds, avoid direct contact and not to feed waterfowl due to the current avian flu outbreak.”
