Caper flies in for his 23rd winter!
On yet another mild day with westerly winds, conditions not very suitable for migration to Britain, I was beginning to wonder how many more swans would arrive this winter. We were therefore pleasantly surprised to see a trickle of regulars push on ahead last week and fly into Slimbridge with the usual fanfare of an arrival. The volume of chatter on Swan Lake must now be nearing its crescendo as the latest group vie for space and food, attempting to push around those that have been here a while much to their chagrin!
So who is new? We were especially pleased to see the grand return of Caper, who having first visited the reserve as a yearling in 1989, is now 23 years old and the oldest Bewick’s swan known to be alive. We are still hoping for some news of Winterling, who was 28 last winter. Sadly, Caper arrived back without mate Gambol this winter. Over the years, we have been able to track Caper’s progress both here at Slimbridge, but also on his long migrations. Back in 1989, he was caught and fitted with a uniquely coded ring, and swan spotters across Europe updated us with his whereabouts until he lost his ring in 1999! We know that he often visits Texel and the Wieringermeer in the Netherlands during autumn migration, and has stopped off at sites in Poland, Estonia and Germany along the way. He sometimes touches down at Welney in Norfolk before arriving at Slimbridge, where he usually settles in for the winter.
Being such an age, he has seemingly outlived three mates, although given that Bewick’s can live until at least 29 years old, he will hopefully have another chance of re-pairing, and may even have another family. After all, Latch brought his first cygnets back to the reserve at the age of 25!
