Hope is on the move!
Hope is nearing the end of her long journey from the Russian arctic to north-west Europe. Latest news from her satellite transmitter indicates that she flew 600 miles non-stop from Estonia to Denmark this week! Bewick’s swans can only carry a limited amount of fat (around 24% of their body weight) and so the distance that they can travel is also limited. The swans are therefore forced to follow a ‘stepping-stone’ migration strategy, using a chain of sites to re-fuel along the migratory route.
Previous transmitter studies have shown that Bewick’s swans can fly up to 1,000 miles without stopping and 2,500 miles with only short stops. It has been fascinating watching Hope, along with the other transmitter birds Andres, Eileen and Lech, follow this broad ‘stepping-stone’ strategy. We are fortunate that all the countries throughout the swans’ flyway have committed to protecting sites for them because any chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Following a spell at Lake Ladoga in Russia, Hope spent time around the western coast of Estonia, a shallow coastal area which attracts several thousand Bewick’s swans on migration every spring and autumn. She visited Haapsalu Bay a couple of weeks after we were there filming the swans on migration with the BBC Autumnwatch team! This autumn, we found that low water levels in this area have provided ample opportunity for the swans to feed on the aquatic vegetation (such as Chara species of stonewort), which they are unable to reach when water levels are high. This proved problematic in terms of filming the swans at close proximity as they were no longer restricted to the shallower shore lines, but the abundance of food was great for them!
With temperatures dropping in recent days and with food reserves replenished, Hope has decided to continue on her way. We look forward to sharing the final leg of her journey as she approaches the British coast and perhaps joins Andres who is already settling in for another winter at Welney and the Ouse Washes....
