Britons are rowing around the River Thames counting all of the swans owned by the Queen - and it's produced some delightful photos

It's the third week of July, and that can only mean one thing: The annual British Swan Upping!

Today, the Swan Upping is conducted as part of a yearly census of swan populations on the River Thames in an effort to conserve their numbers and check up on their health.

But the traditional ceremony stretches more than 800 years, when swans were treated as a status symbol as well as a delicay.