Bewick's finally fly in to WWT Slimbridge
The wait is over. The first Bewick's swan arrived at WWT Slimbridge this morning, finally putting an end to speculation this week over whether they would arrive at all.
The swan flew in at 0630 and was quickly identified by its unique bill pattern at Anga, a swan who visited Slimbridge first as a yearling in 2005 and has wintered on the reserve every year since. Anga has been one of the first Bewick's swans to arrive at Slimbridge for the past four years and has been happily feeding on swan lake since its' arrival this morning.
Visitors to Slimbridge from today will have the chance to see Anga during the daily commentated swan feeds in the Peng Observatory.
Julia Newth, wildlife research officer at WWT, said: "We were never in any doubt that the Bewick's would arrive at Slimbridge this year. A mild autumn and weeks of westerly winds haven't provided the best conditions for migration which will have contributed to the delay. So we weren't surprised that the plummeting temperatures and easterly winds we've had over the past few days have encouraged the swans to complete their 3,000km migration from arctic Russia to the UK and into Slimbridge today."
