Winter is back again!
At last, proper winter weather! A high pressure system developing over the UK has brought plunging temperatures, crisp ground frosts and bright sunny days! Together with easterly winds, conditions are near perfect for the onwards migration of swans from the continent. As the swans will be preparing to embark on their spring migration back to Russia next month, we are not likely to see any west-ward bound long-distance migrations, but perhaps some short hops to the UK instead. We may well see some new birds arriving in Norfolk from the Netherlands in the next couple of days. A co-ordinated count across the Ouse Washes in Norfolk today should reveal whether there are a few more birds in the area......
The birds were very hungry at the Slimbridge feed this morning and the reserve team threw out an extra barrow of wheat to compensate for the extra energy used in these conditions and the lack of frost-free vegetation to graze on. We also saw the return of parents Bacan (ringed 19H) and Maluku with their three cygnets, who after arriving at Slimbridge a few weeks ago, have been making the most of other feeding sites in Gloucestershire (M. Smart, C. Butters, L. Brown, A. Jayne, S. Carman) . No doubt the lure of an unfrozen pond and plentiful wheat attracted them back! A total of 165 swans (including 35 cygnets) were recorded on site this morning.
