The swans are coming!
The epic migration of Bewick's swans from the tundras of arctic Russia to warmer wintering sites in Northwest Europe has begun! We heard a couple of weeks ago that all of the swans had left the Pechora Zapovednik (a key breeding area in Russia) and that a handful had arrived in Latvia (Y. Bogomolova & D. Boiko).
Now, the first groups of Bewick’s have reached the Netherlands with the first two birds seen flying over the south of the country on 26 September and a group of 50 touching down on Lake Lauwersmeer on Monday (W. Tijsen)! Lauwersmeer, in the north of the country, is an important staging post for the swans with several thousand congregating there every autumn to rest and re-fuel. The lake is only around 400 miles away, as the swan flies, from Welney and the Ouse Washes, the most important wintering area for the species in Northwest Europe. From there, it's a short hop to Slimbridge which expects to host around 400 during the winter.
The strong easterly winds over the last few days have helped the Bewick’s on their way making this one of the earliest arrivals of swans in this number in the Lauwersmeer area since 1999. More news of their journey to follow......
