First Bewick’s touch down in the Netherlands
The Bewick’s swans have started their epic migration from arctic Russia to north-west Europe with the first two birds already arriving in the Netherlands close to Lake Veluwemeer (Wim Tijsen/Nel Bekema)!
We are especially excited to hear from seven of our swans caught and fitted with satellite transmitters at Slimbridge and the Ouse Washes over the last couple of winters. Over the last few days, six have started to move south and flown back into signal range allowing us to track their migration and back-fill information about where they spent the summer. It’s great to see that they are making very good progress!
Eileen (BEWI11 - dark pink track), Daisy Clarke (BEWI19 - green track) and Charlotte (BEWI22 - pale green track) have reached the southern shores of Lake Peipsi in Estonia, a key stopping off site for the Bewick’s as they travel 3,000km to reach wintering grounds. You may remember that we visited Lake Peipsi with the BBC Autumnwatch team last year to understand why this area draws nearly the entire Northwest European population in spring and substantial numbers in the autumn. You can read more about our adventure here
Slimbridge swan Maisie (BEWI03 - pale pink track), is ahead of the game and has already arrived on the western coast of Estonia after a brief detour to Latvia. In fact, Maisie flew from Oneg in Russia (just south of the arctic circle) to Latvia in just 18 hours! This is a journey that would ordinarily take us around 23 hours by car, in a less direct route rather than as the swan flies of course!
Hope (BEWI09 - orange track), the star of our previous swan appeal, flew onto Lake Ladoga in Russia just yesterday while Beabrooks (BEWI13 - blue track) has decided to take a more northerly route via Finland! We eagerly await their next movements as they edge ever closer to the UK!
