Crinkly comes home to Slimbridge for Christmas
Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas at Slimbridge without Crinkly, the much loved Bewick's swan with the crinkly neck.
Just over three weeks ago, she had touched down on the reserve at the end of another gruelling migration, but hadn't been seen here since. So this morning, with just over two weeks to go until the big day, it was excitement all round as Crinkly was spotted proudly feeding in front of the main Peng Observatory.
Crinkly has become a firm Slimbridge favourite after first arriving here in 2004 as a cygnet with parents Lucius and Coletta. She has a kink in her neck which makes her very distinctive from the other swans, and against all of the odds, has survived ten journeys, clocking up over 30,000 km! It is thought that Crinkly was born with this birth defect and, although is not as aerodynamic as the others, seems to cope very well!
She does not appear to have a mate, although a partner that is new to the reserve may be initially hesitant in coming on to the main lake so we will have to wait and see what Santa brings....
Visitors to the centre should be able to recognise Crinkly's distinctive neck at the popular daily commentated swan feeds.
