10 August 2007
WWT researchers have this week traveled to Iceland to begin satellite tracking Whooper Swans from their breeding grounds there to their wintering grounds in Britain and Ireland in a bid to safeguard their future as a species.
The Lough Neagh Wetlands Whooper Swan project will enable us to learn more about the swans' migration route and assess the threats they face before WWT and the Irish Whooper Swan Study Group hosts an AEWA* Single Species Action Plan (SSAP) Workshop on Whooper Swans in Northern Ireland in November.
The 800km crossing from Iceland to Britain is probably the longest sea crossing undertaken by any swan species and can take anything from 13 hours to four and a half days. There are also many potential obstacles that the swans have to overcome during this journey. Offshore and onshore wind farms could be harmful to Whooper Swans who may fly into the turbines. They are also illegally shot throughout their range: swans at WWT centres during the winter are x-rayed and nearly 12% found to have lead shot in their body.
Seven of the swans will be fitted with transmitters before they leave Iceland to begin their autumn migration from late September onwards.
You will be able to follow their progress online via our interactive map coming soon.