Spring migration underway
This week, thousands of Bewick’s swans started their 2,500 mile migration back to breeding grounds in the Russian arctic! Many made the most of the fleeting windows of calm and south-westerly winds that appeared in an otherwise stormy week. Here at Slimbridge, numbers quickly fell over the weekend, from 130 birds on Sunday to just six today. The build up to final departure can be prolonged, involving resting, some last minute feeding and various practice runs - the swans need to ensure that they are in good shape to survive this long journey that will take them through 11 countries over a period of up to 10 weeks.
Slightly (Photo by Steve Heaven)
Bewick’s swans have very strong family bonds and will usually migrate in their family groups. We were therefore surprised to see one morning that one cygnet had been left behind by his sibling and parents, a pair called Orkney Reid and Doodled. We can only assume that confusion during take-off, possibly caused by poor weather and visibility, caused this family to split. The cygnet, which has subsequently been named ‘Slightly’ by Swan Research Assistant Steve Heaven, continues to roost on the Rushy Lake and we hope that he will join others on his way home when he finally decides that the time is right to leave.
Tracks of Maisie (pink), Daisy Clarke (green) and Leho (yellow)
While ‘Slightly’ has been taking his time to get going, some of our transmitter swans have been making speedier progress with Maisie reaching Germany and Daisy Clark now in Denmark! In fact, Maisie made the sea crossing from the east of England to the Dutch coast in just two hours! Leho remains on the Ouse Washes, undoubtedly poised to leave any day now….
