Slimbridge Wetland Centre
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Grenoble leads the late arrivers!
As the cold snap continues, a steady stream of swans have been heading west at a time of year when they are usually preparing to head east on spring migration! 14 new swans have arrived since the beginning of the month, including pair Grenoble and Gien wh
8 February 2012
Swans ice-skating!
The lake was almost completely frozen today! Words cannot describe this winter wonderland well enough, so here are some photographs by Graham Hann. Enjoy! 189 swans were recorded on the lake today, a mixture of new arrivals that have escaped colder wea
2 February 2012
Roscoff arrives in cold snap
As I sit here trying to warm up, it’s hard to believe that the last entry started with the phrase ‘spring like temperatures’! It’s no wonder that we are consumed by the weather in Britain! The weather is a key factor in influencing the swans behav
1 February 2012
Last few weeks in Britain
Following the return to spring like temperatures, Swan Lake has been relatively calm and tranquil (well, as calm and tranquil as you can get with 175 swans gliding around!), with very few comings and goings. The feeds have been well attended and the field
26 January 2012
Highest count of the winter so far
The fraught hooting and honking gave the game away this morning as I made my way to the hide. Eight new swans were busily establishing themselves on the lake, along with several birds that had returned to the reserve after ‘disappearing’ to other site
17 January 2012
Winter is back again!
At last, proper winter weather! A high pressure system developing over the UK has brought plunging temperatures, crisp ground frosts and bright sunny days! Together with easterly winds, conditions are near perfect for the onwards migration of swans from t
16 January 2012
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 l
9 January 2012
A strange winter so far....
What an interesting swan season so far! Although the first Bewick’s flew into Northwest Europe ‘on time’, the mass migration of most of the population has stopped and started and stopped again, with periods of cold coinciding with the arrival of man
23 December 2011
The Slimbridge pecking order!
The cold weather has encouraged yet more swans to fly in with 39 birds arriving at Slimbridge over the past week pushing the count up to 130 today! We welcomed back 17 year old Geena who brought mate Hugo back to the reserve for their tenth winter togethe
19 December 2011
Latest survey shows poor breeding
Last week, a big co-ordinated age count took place across Europe in an effort to determine whether or not the Bewick’s have had a good breeding season, information which may help us to understand what is driving the population’s rapid decline. This in
13 December 2011
Arrival of the Royal Couple!
Strong south-westerly winds did not deter our Royal couple, William and Katherine, from pushing on to Slimbridge this week. The pair, named earlier in the year in honour of the Royal marriage, arrived back for their seventh winter together. They are now j
9 December 2011
Another Divorcee and Mr Bond!
It’s been another busy week on Swan Lake with a steady stream of new arrivals, bringing yet more intriguing stories! After the arrival of one of the divorcees, Saruni, a week ago, we wondered whether her ex. partner Sarindi would arrive. We didn’t h
24 November 2011
November? More like mid-winter!
After the flurry of new arrivals at the beginning of the week, the lake is settling down as new birds familiarise themselves with the daily routine of the feeds and regular visitors re-establish their patch. Numbers have been fluctuating daily, with a top
17 November 2011
Swans flood in!
Swan Lake has been completely transformed with the arrival of 75 new birds, including 24 cygnets, over the weekend! On Saturday night alone, 50 swans dropped down, in the biggest ‘swan-fall’ for seven years! As I write, 100 swans are swimming, preenin
14 November 2011
First family arrives!
Over the past two days, 23 new swans have flown in on a north-easterly breeze, including the first family of the winter! Pair Croupier and Dealer have arrived with five cygnets, continuing one of the longest family lineages at Slimbridge and demonstrating
11 November 2011