Migration starts again!
At last some south-westerly winds and clear skies! On Thursday there were 124 Bewick’s swans at Slimbridge but by Friday there were only 35!
The swans had been stalling – days of unfavourable north-easterly winds had dissuaded most from starting their migration back to Russia. Thursday presented the first opportunity for a week to leave under good flying conditions and there was a growing sense that departure was imminent.
The birds were restless, flying back and forth from the River Severn in spectacularly large groups. As the late afternoon pressed on various people spotted groups flying over on migration; at 5.55pm, 22 swans flew over Coombe Hill in Gloucestershire in classic ‘V’ formation and by 7pm the main Slimbridge roost site was eerily quiet (M. Smart & P. Marshall).
They were finally on the move, and on the move in big numbers. It’s surreal to think that just last week, 179 Bewick’s were swimming around Swan Lake and now there are just seven remaining!
The reverse scenario will soon be happening in arctic Russia, some 2,500 miles away. The relative quiet of the arctic tundra where there was an exodus of migrants in the autumn before the onset of the harsh winter, will be interrupted by a hive of activity again as thousands of migratory birds return for the summer.
