New arrivals in the UK as snow hits Germany
The cold, snowy weather in Germany seems to have prompted a few individuals to fly that little bit further and finally make it to Slimbridge. These are very late arrivals given that the Bewick’s are just weeks away from leaving on spring migration back to breeding grounds in arctic Russia. So we have been enjoying what are probably some of the last new visitors of the winter.
On Thursday, Slimbridge regulars Callard and Cauldron arrived with a yearling named Colbie in tow. Callard first visited Slimbridge in 1996 and has faithfully wintered here ever since! In 1997, he brought a mate back who was named Bowser. They were a very successful pair, having seven cygnets over the following years. Sadly, Callard came back alone in 2011 but by 2012 had found a new mate, Cauldron. Sunny and Samba flew in for their eighth winter on Wednesday and with the cooler temperatures persuading the swans to concentrate on the Rushy at feed times, we recorded our highest reserve count of the winter so far this morning with 138 swans (including 26 cygnets) identified.
