Super Whooper blog

News has just come in of one of the Whoopers fitted with a satellite-transmitter last summer, which went a bit quiet on us last November. Swan Y6G was caught in the moulting flock on Sandvatn, Myvatnsheidi, north-central Iceland, on 5th August together with 61 other non-breeders. Thereafter satellite data indicated that he was moving along the Fljotsheidi and Adadalur valleys in September and October, but transmissions ceased on 18th November. On visiting nearby Bardardalur on 31st January, Icelandic ringer Sverrir Thorstensen spotted Y6G with an unringed partner, but apparently without his transmitter. Another pair of unringed adults was also present, plus a pair with one young.

Readers of this blog may be unaware that there’s been a mystery surrounding one of our satellite-tagged swans this winter.  He was spotted by the RSPB's Malcolm Smith at Loch Funzie on the isle of Fetlar, Shetland, on 27th November, whilst following up reports of an unusual swan at the site. Despite his best efforts Malcolm was unable to read the ring, and photos of the swan’s bill pattern (sent through to Slimbridge for comparison with photos taken during the swan catches) were not conclusive. This was the first indication that one of our tagged birds was on Shetland, so clearly a swan whose transmitter had stopped transmitting, but somewhat frustratingly we weren't sure which!

We were therefore delighted when suddenly bleeps started coming through from Fetlar earlier this week and the bird was finally identified as swan DP5. He was originally ringed on Lake Anavatn in Jokuldalsheidi, east Iceland, back in August 2007, and returned to the same lake to moult in both 2008 and 2009. He was seen at Byall Fen, near Coveney, Cambridgeshire, in January 2008 but there were no reports of him last winter, in 2008/09. With his battery now recharging we hope that, having missed his autumn migration, we’ll be able to follow his northbound journey this spring.