Black Swan

Many years ago, I was driving on a mountain road, when a coyote appeared in front of my car. He came from the brush on the side of the road determined, apparently, to take his own life. Perhaps he had just heard that the Cubs were not going to make the playoffs. I swerved to avoid him and stepped hard on the brake pedal. I succeeded in sparing his life, but came rather close to losing mine, for my car had spun around and was dangerously close to the edge of the road and the side of the mountain.

After surviving so many near misses, Newport Beach's unofficial mascot, Rupert, finally ran out of time last week. Rupert, the black swan who made a pleasant nuisance of himself — gently attacking swimmers, floating up to boats in search of hand-outs and getting in various misadventures during the 15 or so years he was here — finally was done in by his curiosity. Always attracted to red boats, Rupert swam in front of a Harbor Patrol cruiser on its way to a crime scene Wednesday afternoon and was killed.

As those who loved Rupert the black swan prepare to remember him in a ceremony on the bay, a Newport Beach businessman has offered to buy the city new swans. Rupert, who lived around Newport Harbor and the Balboa Peninsula for about 15 years, died Wednesday after he was struck by a harbor patrol boat hurrying to an emergency call. The swan is being cremated, and a memorial will be held later, but no date has been set. The Newport-based Imua Outrigger Canoe Club has offered to lead a paddle-out ceremony with a traditional Hawaiian blessing to scatter his ashes.

He's survived fish hooks, oil spills and the less-than-desirable Newport Bay water, but after about 15 years, the unofficial Newport Peninsula mascot Rupert has died. A Newport Harbor Patrol boat struck him while responding to reports of a body floating in the harbor Wednesday, authorities said. The deputy driving the boat saw Rupert swim out of the mooring area and tried to avoid the swan but because of a large marker in the water was unable to steer completely clear, Harbor Patrol Sgt. David Ginther said.

Marisa O'Neil The rains that drenched Newport-Mesa last week also made Rupert the black swan, one of Newport Harbor's most famous residents, a little under the weather. On Thursday, a Newport Beach animal control officer found Rupert wandering, weak and disoriented, along Bayside Drive, said Debbie McGuire, wildlife director for the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach. After a brief stop for some blood work at the All Creatures Care Cottage in Costa Mesa, Rupert is recovering at the care center.

A classical dancer from Newport Harbor High School outshined her final rival in the Music Center Spotlight Awards, earning herself a prize of $5,000. Diane Booth, 16, won first place at the competition on Tuesday night in Los Angeles over one other finalist in the classical dance category. For her performance, she danced the seductive Black Swan variation from "Swan Lake." "I was really excited," Diane said. "I was very happy with my performance.

Jennifer K Mahal Red, white and blue was the unstated theme for the Daily Pilot's annual 103 luncheon Tuesday as more than 60 of Newport-Mesa's "most influential people" gathered at the Center Club to mix and mingle. The event, which honors the people on the DP 103 list (published Sept. 26), had police chiefs rubbing elbows with pastors and volleyball gurus sitting next to attorneys. With Sept. 11 and its repercussions still resonating with the community, luminaries from former Newport Beach Arts Commissioner Don Gregory to Hoag Hospital fund-raiser Arden Flamson could be found showing the flag.

Mathis Winkler NEWPORT HARBOR -- As Chloe the cat and Pobre Cito the Chihuahua settled in for a Monday morning nap, a celebrity was probably the last thing the two mascots at All Creatures Care Cottage in Costa Mesa expected to see carried through the door. But then, around 10 a.m., the arrival of Newport Harbor's beloved troublemaker caused some commotion in the otherwise sleepy animal hospital. Orange County Harbor Patrol officers had lifted Rupert, a black swan, out of his stomping grounds after a fish hook got caught in his beak and a string of fishing line had injured his throat.

-- Alex Coolman The black swan that was nearly killed when it swam through diesel fuel in Newport Harbor last week was returned to the wild Monday after recuperating from its injuries. Rupert the swan, a fowl favorite among locals, had been resting up at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach in the wake of his mishap Aug. 8. The swan was nearly dead when it was rescued by Harbor Patrol Officials. Care center workers said that after being cleaned and fed a liquid charcoal solution to soak up the oil he had ingested, Rupert made a speedy recovery.