First family arrives at Slimbridge!
The first Bewick’s swan family of the season has flown into Slimbridge for the winter! There was great excitement as old favourites Lucius and Aoki appeared at the morning feed with a healthy cygnet in tow.
Lucius first visited Slimbridge in 2000 and has spent most winters here since. In 2004 he fathered Crinkly, a swan with a uniquely deformed neck who visited the reserve for several years. After losing Crinkly’s mother Coletta, Lucius brought new mate Aoki to the reserve in 2007, and together, they have had four cygnets.
This cygnet has just completed its first 2,500 mile migration to wintering grounds and this will hopefully be one of many. Lucius has flown around 58,000 miles to and from Slimbridge over his lifetime so far!
His cygnet was born on the arctic Russian tundra in June and has spent the summer feeding on wetland grasses, sedges and berries, while carefully avoiding predators such as the arctic fox. As the father, Lucius would have taken a prominent role in defending his family and their territory from attack and encroaching grazing waterbirds. The family will have remained close together during this vulnerable time, and they continue to form a tight unit although we will see the cygnet become more confident and independent as the winter progresses.
At the beginning of the winter, parents and cygnets are equally responsible for maintaining the cohesion of the family group. Later on, it’s mostly down to the cygnets to stay close to their parents. Generally, parents provide less support for their offspring towards the end of the winter and during spring migration when their young are better able to fend for themselves and when the parents prepare for the next breeding season.
In addition to the family, four new swans have joined Humbugs, bringing the total up to eight. Steve and I will study their bill patterns over the coming days to determine whether they have visited us before.
Meanwhile, numbers have been building up in the Netherlands with 664 birds recorded on Lake Veluwemeer in recent days, 155 on Lake Drontermeer and 260 on the Lauwersmeer (M. Jansen & W. Tijsen). More than 600 swans are now near Romo Island in the south-west of Denmark.
