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 behaviour, particularly their movements, so no one day is ever the same.
Just as we were hearing rumbling of birds starting their spring migration back to Russia, temperatures dropped, the winds swung around to the east, and a few more dropped into Slimbridge!
We were excited to see the return of Roscoff and Rhune yesterday. Roscoff (ringed BBF) spent her first winter at Slimbridge ten years ago, and was last seen on spring migration in Lutjenweststedt, northern Germany, in March. She has been with partner Rhune since 2007.
And there’s nothing like some new arrivals to cause a stir on the lake, especially during a cold snap when their natural food is scarce and therefore highly fought over!
As the winter progresses, the cygnets have been learning how to defend their territories alongside their parents, and many are now fully involved in acts of aggression! Cygnets from the more dominant families tend to confidently roam further from their parents than those from more subordinate families, although cygnets generally need the support of their parents to win fights against other adults.
Now, at over six months old, the cygnets are becoming increasingly independent from their parents. At the beginning of the winter, parents and cygnets make equal efforts to stay as a tight family unit, where as towards the end of the winter, cygnets will be more responsible for this.
176 birds (including 36 cygnets) were recorded on the reserve this morning.
