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One of the British monarch鈥檚 less-known titles is Seigneur of the Swans 鈥� Lord of the Swans 鈥� and according to ancient lore, he or she owns all members of the mute swan species found in Britain鈥檚 open waters.

Every year, a team of carefully selected oarsmen 鈥� Swan Uppers — are tasked with finding the swans on a stretch of the Thames.

When a family is spotted, they shout, 鈥淎ll up!鈥� and the boats quickly surround the birds, marking them and checking for signs of disease or injury.

鈥淚t gives us an indication of what鈥檚 going on throughout the country,鈥� said David Barber, who wears a scarlet jacket and a white swan feather in his cap and bears the title of King鈥檚 Swan Marker. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tradition, but I think it鈥檚 serving a very useful purpose as well.鈥�

Barber has been leading the event for more than 30 years. He is accompanied by a vet and oarsmen dressed in three colors: red for the king, white for the Worshipful Company of Vintners and blue stripes for the Worshipful Company of Dyers. The last two are medieval London trade guilds that were granted ownership of some Thames swans in the 15th century.

The census tradition dates to the 12th century, when swans were considered an important food for royal banquets and feasts.

While swans are now legally protected from hunting, they face threats from disease, pollution, vandalism and cruelty, Barber said.

Their numbers have declined over the last two years, primarily due to outbreaks of avian flu across Britain, he said, adding that only 86 young swans were found during last year鈥檚 Swan Upping, which was 45% fewer than the year before that.

But Barber appeared positive at the end of the event’s first day, with a total of 16 young swans recorded.

The census continues until Friday, traveling from Sunbury, on the outskirts of London, to Abingdon, 80 miles (130 kilometers) upstream.