The reverse migration of Daisy Clarke
A final burst of winter has made some of our transmitter swans think twice about continuing their journeys eastwards. Temperatures in Estonia have reached lows of -3ºC over the last few days and this sudden change is likely to have encouraged the reverse migration of Daisy Clarke.
We have been fascinated to watch Daisy’s journey after she left UK shores on 26 February and flew straight to Denmark. This long sea crossing took her around eight hours. Following a spell in Denmark, she continued her journey on 12 March, this time skirting across southern Sweden and flying over Gothenburg city before arriving in Estonia on the 14th. By then, the weather had already deteriorated and the very next day, she headed west to Latvia where she remains today, undoubtedly waiting for things to warm up!
Weather is a key factor influencing timings of movements on migration. Swans have previously been observed sleeping through blizzard conditions in Estonia, waiting for feeding areas to thaw. It seems that Daisy decided not to sit it out this time! More news to follow....
