First arrival at Slimbridge breaks new record!
The first Bewick’s swan flew into Slimbridge yesterday, breaking the record for the earliest arrival date since WWT’s swan study began in 1963!
The swan, which has been named Record Breaker, is a yearling and is likely to have visited last year as a cygnet as it seems very familiar with the reserve and has arrived alone, without the guidance of a regular visitor. Record Breaker has now beaten Tomato and Ketchup who had, until yesterday, held the earliest arrival record of 12 October in 1980.
The swans, which are migrating from the Russian arctic, have been spurred on by unusually cold weather sweeping parts of western Russia and eastern Europe. Temperatures are 5-10ºC below average and as the low pressure moves north, snow is forecasted for Poland and other eastern European countries (Met Office/ITV weather). Low temperatures, snowfall and north easterly winds create the perfect cocktail for encouraging the swans to press on with their westwards migration to Europe where they will spend the winter months.
Although day length dictates the broad migratory period for migration, our studies have shown that weather is highly influential in determining precise timings of movements with wind direction being a particularly critical factor. Numbers are also rising in the Netherlands with 45 recorded on Lake Gooimeer and 80 on Lake Lauwersmeer in recent days (Wim Tijsen) in what is building up to be Europe’s annual winter spectacular with more than 16,000 swans arriving over the next few weeks.
El Niño is underway in the tropical Pacific which has led to speculation that we are in for a long, bitter winter. Although this is currently too early to predict with confidence, winter has certainly kicked off earlier than usual in many countries and the swans are ahead of the game. After all, in Russia, there is an old saying, “the swan brings snow on its bill”....
