A Bewick's Blog: Winter 23/24

As the Bewick's swans arrive at Slimbridge this winter, we'll be keeping you updated on the individuals on site this season.

As the Bewick's swans arrive at Slimbridge for the winter of 2023/24, we'll be keeping you updated on the individuals on site.

• Friday 22 March - the last Bewick's swan, Shelbia, started her migration on the evening of 22 March, along with the two whoopers who also departed. We hope you enjoyed following our Bewick's Blog for 2023/24. Stay tuned for a new blog starting for the next season!
• Friday 15 March - Just one Bewick’s swan remains on site, a female named Shelbia. The other 10 Bewick’s departed in the evening of Wednesday 13 March, we wish them a safe journey back to the Tundra!
• Friday 8 March - only 11 Bewick's swans left on site, including 2 cygnets. Remaining swans include Turlach and Tramore with two cygnets. Pairs Furry and Furrow, Voru and Valgo and singles Farlington, Rummo and Shelbia.
• Friday 1 March - 55 Bewick's swans remain on site, including 11 cygnets. Two whoopers are also on site and have been pair bonding.
• Monday 26 February - more swans have started departing and around 65 Bewick's swans left on site.
• Monday 19 February - 14 Bewick's swans departed Slimbridge. Total swans on site counted as of 21 February: 104, including 15 cygnets, along with one whooper swan.
• Friday 9 February - 115 Bewick’s swans on site - 15 being cygnets. Also on the Rushy for the morning feed was one adult whooper. The total number of Bewick’s this winter still 158, 17 being cygnets.
• Maisie and Maifeld's cygnet from last winter named 'Maisemore'.

Bewick's swan, Maisemore

• Monday 29 January - total number of Bewick's swans between the Rushy Lake and the Tack Piece at first light was 114, including 15 cygnets. One of the 15 cygnets has travelled from Arctic Russia to WWT Slimbridge without its parents. This happens from time to time, and it should migrate back to Russia with the rest of the flock. Total number of swans identified this winter is 158, including 17 cygnets.
• Friday 19 January - This day saw the highest count of identified Bewick’s swans so far this winter: 117 - 101 adults and 16 cygnets. Two whooper swans were also with the flock.
• Friday 12 January - New arrivals include 'Zenobia' with mate 'Septima'. Zenobia was ringed a cygnet at Kilieverweg Wieringermeer in the Netherlands in 2007 and was fitted with a neck collar: yellow 966A. She first wintered at Slimbridge in 2010 still with collar and mate 'Abelia'. She then next visited in the winter of 2018, this time on her own and no longer with the collar. She arrived last winter with new mate Septima and two cygnets, but none this winter.
• Monday 8 January - Yellow ringed AAU (yet to be named), arrived on 8 January. She first arrived last winter as a cygnet with parents 'Ananas' and 'Mayweed' and two siblings on 14 December 2022, all three cygnets were ringed last winter yellow AAP male and yellow AAT female, now named 'Tussock'. AAU is now associating with sibling, Tussock, who arrived on 30 November 2023.
• 'Penkin' first wintered at Slimbridge in December 2017 as a single male, he was joined by 'Penknife' last winter and both arrived on 8 January.

• 'Flight Sabre' first wintered at Slimbridge as a cygnet with parents 'Dario' and 'Bridges' in November 2013. 'Sabre Tooth' was his new mate last winter - Sabre Tooth arrived on her own this winter on 12 December 2023 and Flight Sabre arrived overnight on 8 January.

Bewick's swan, Flight Sabre.

• Thursday 4 January - The New Year saw a few new arrivals including: 'Brule', an adult female who first wintered at Slimbridge with mate 'Crème' in 2013 with one cygnet. They next wintered at WWT Slimbridge in the winter of 2015 also with one cygnet. Then next visited in 2016 with three cygnets and 2017 also with three cygnets. Brule arrived on her own in 2020 and last winter arrived with new mate 'Chaumes', this winter Brule is on her own.
• On Friday 29 December 'Chaperrel' arrived, they first wintered at WWT Slimbridge as a cygnet with single parent 'Chapellerie' in 2020 and has returned every winter since with Chapellerie.
• 'Slots' first arrived as a cygnet with parents 'Croupie' and 'Wheel' and two siblings last winter on 19 November 2022. Slots arrived on their own this winter on 6 December. On 27 December Croupie & Wheel also arrived. Slots received their name as a term for fruit machines, as Slots is the most recently named member of the gambling dynasty.

Bewick's swan, Slots.

• Monday 8 December - 'Elroy' arrived, he first wintered at Slimbridge in 2019 - he was caught that winter and fitted with a transmitter and neck collar. His next visit was in 2020 - still with the collar, this winter he arrived this time without a collar.
• Tuesday 9 December - total number of swans on site: 105, 14 being cygnets. And total for this winter: 133, 17 being cygnets.
• Tuesday 19 December - New family arrived on the Rushy, 'Doodled' with three cygnets but without her mate 'Orkney Reid'. Doodled first wintered as an adult in 2011. Her next visit was in 2016 with mate Orkney Reid and two cygnets. This pair did not return until the winter of 2021, this time with four cygnets. Last winter they arrived with another four cygnets.

Bewick's swan Doodled, with three cygnets

• Thursday 14 December - a new family arrived on the Rushy Lake, albeit briefly. The parents are named 'Bourtange' and 'Domberg', after places in the Netherlands. This will be their first visit to WWT Slimbridge. There were sightings of the family on other areas of the site earlier in the month, as well as in Whitminster.
• Wednesday 13 December - 92 plus swans counted on the Tack Piece at first light. New arrivals over the last few days include:
• 'Pom' who arrived on the 7 December 2023, he first wintered at Slimbridge as a cygnet with single parent 'Macau' and two siblings in 2010. Pom has not arrived every winter, in the winter of 2012 he arrived with his first mate 'Pommel' and they also spent the following winter at Slimbridge. In the winter of 2017 he arrived with a new mate 'Pomegranate' and both returned the following year, but Pomegranate sadly passed away in 2019 and Pom has been single ever since.
• 'Bronstien' arrived on 12 December, she first winter at Slimbridge as the new mate of 'Trotsky' in 2021 and both returned last winter, but she is on her own so far this winter.

Bewick's swan, Bronstien.

• 'Sabre Tooth' also arrived on 12 December; she was the new mate of 'Flight Sabre' last winter, she also arrived on her own this winter.
• 'Hunti' and 'Hunting' arrived overnight on 12 December. Hunti first wintered as a single female adult in 2015. The following winter she arrived with her now mate Hunting and have returned to Slimbridge every winter since.
• The total swan count recorded this winter, since 16 November, is 112 individuals with 14 being cygnets.
• Wednesday 6 December - 8.50am saw the arrival of 'Star Anise' and 'Ginger Snap', a pair that first wintered at Slimbridge with a cygnet in 2021. At the swan catch that winter all three were ringed. In the winter of 2022 only Star Anise arrived and Ginger Snap was seen in Denmark, so the pair spent the winter alone. However this winter the pair are happily back together. They got their names from a competition in a newspaper.
• Another swan to the pond this season is individual 'Ringin’'. Ringin' first came to Slimbridge as a cygnet in 2021, with parents Hoorn and Laren - who have wintered every year at Slimbridge since 2016. Ringin’ was named to celebrate over £4.8m raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery in support of WWT.

• Monday 4 December - total of 74 Bewick's counted, including 12 cygnets.
• A new family arrived over the weekend - 'Babaco' and 'Babato' with two cygnets. Babaco first wintered at Slimbridge with then mate 'Floret' in 2011, the following winters she came on her own. In 2016 she arrived with new mate Babato, and they have returned every winter since. The two cygnets are the first that they have brought back together.

• There is another family with one cygnet, who are new to Slimbridge. The pair have now been named 'Bourtange' and 'Domberg', after Dutch villages.
• Friday 1 December - 69 Bewick's swans counted at WWT Slimbridge.
• Latest arrivals include 'Sarindi' and 'Sarind', Sarindi first wintered at Slimbridge in 2007 with then mate 'Saruni'. Both returned the following winter, but in the winter of 2009 both swans came back with different mates; Sarindi with Sarind and Saruni with 'Sarune'. This seems to be a rare case of a swan divorce! Sarindi and Sarind are still together and have returned with 5 cygnets in that time, but none this winter. Their cygnet from last winter was ringed and named 'Titus', she arrived on 22 November 2023 and the family are now reunited.

Bewick's swan Sarindi.

• Another new arrival includes 'Keynell' who first wintered at Slimbridge with mate 'By-Brook' in 2010 and have visited every winter after that. Sadly Keynell arrived on her own this winter but has been reunited with one of their cygnets from 2018 - Allington (see further details below).
• 'Dandeeno' first wintered as a cygnet with parents Danuta and Danut in 2005 and she has returned every winter since. Her present mate is 'Katniss', she has had two other mates over the years but no cygnets yet.
• Wednesday 29 November - 52 Bewick's recorded on site, nine being cygnets.
• The family 'Turlach' and 'Tramore' arrived with their two cygnets. Turlach first wintered at Slimbridge with then mate 'Turlough' in 2017. Both returned in 2019 with four cygnets, but Turlough sadly passed away that winter. In the winter of 2021 Turlach returned with a new mate Tramore and four cygnets, last winter they returned with three cygnets and now two this winter.

Bewick's swans on a lake, including Turlach and Tramore with their two cygnets.

• Tuesday 28 November - New arrivals overnight included 'Fortune Two' and 'Combo'. Fortune Two first arrived as a cygnet with parents in 2003 and has visited Slimbridge every winter since. He was joined by Combo in the winter of 2005, they have only returned with two cygnets in the winter of 2013.
• 'Shoon' and 'Shone' also arrived on 28 November - Shoon first wintered at Slimbridge with then mate 'Shea' in 2007, in the winter of 2014 he returned with a new mate 'Shines' and in the winter of 2019, he returned with present mate Shone. In the winter of 2021 they returned with four cygnets.
• Along with solo swan 'Allington' who first wintered at Slimbridge as a cygnet with parents 'By-Brook' and 'Keynell', he stayed with his parents for three winters, Allington has no mates yet. Look out for him with a yellow ring on his right leg which says 915.

Pair of Bewick's swans - Fortune Two and Combo.

• Monday 27 November - 33 swans recorded on site, seven being cygnets.
• Some new arrivals include - 'Bruton' a female who first wintered at Slimbridge in 2016 as a single adult. She did not return again until 2020, again as a single adult, but paired up with regular male 'Moriarty' and had been a pair for three years. Bruton is on her own this winter.
• 'Olga' first came as a cygnet with her parents 'Orkney Reid' and 'Doodled' on 22 December 2022. She returned last winter as a yearling on 15 December 2022 and is now two years old.
• 'Heerlen' first arrived at Slimbridge in 2020 as a single adult and has returned every winter since, they have no mate yet.

Bewick's swan Heerlan.

• Wednesday 22 November saw a 'Swanfall' with a flurry of new Bewick's arrive on the reserve. 43 swans were recorded on site in total including the following individuals: 'Winkey' and 'Winker', Winkey first wintered at Slimbridge with then mate Tinkey in 2001. He was last seen with Tinkey in the winter of 2010, they only had one cygnet. He was joined by Winker the following winter and has returned every winter since. The pair have been known to go to Chew Valley for a short while, they have brought back five cygnets over the years. Winkey is the oldest swan on the pond between 26-27 years old.
• 'Gastro' and 'Roux' also arrived during the Swanfall, they have been a pair since the winter of 2019 and this year have come with their first two cygnets.
• Another pair include 'Primero' and 'Piquet', Primero first wintered at Slimbridge with mate Pidro in 2012, they were together until the winter of 2014. Primero returned with Piquet the following winter with two cygnets and the pair have brought three with them this winter.
• Baratheon, mate of Venta, (who arrived on 20 November), has also now reached Slimbridge and is reunited with Venta.

Bewick's swan Baratheon.

• Tuesday 21 November - pair 'Hoorn' and 'Laren' arrived. This pair first wintered at Slimbridge in 2016 and have returned every winter since. In 2021 they brought back their first two cygnets but haven't brought any more back since then.

Bewick's pair Hoorn and Laren.

• Monday 20 November saw the arrival of 'Venta'. Venta first wintered at Slimbridge with mate 'Baratheon' in 2018, Baratheon was a cygnet of 'Tool' and 'Times' in the winter of 2016. Venta and Baratheon brought their first cygnet back last winter but Venta has arrived on her own this winter.
• Saturday 18 November swans 'Demidov' with mate 'Derbent' arrived, along with a new swan for Slimbridge - 'Soltsy'. Demidov and Derbent first wintered at Slimbridge in 2014 and have wintered every year since. They don't have any cygnets yet.

Bewick's swan Venta.

Thursday 16 November - The first Bewick's to arrive the winter of 23/24 were Maisie and her partner Maifield and their two cygnets.

Maisie first wintered at WWT Slimbridge in 2014 and has returned to our reserve every year since. In 2016 she arrived with her new mate Maifield. After coupling up the pair brought their first two cygnets back to Slimbridge in 2020, three more in 2021, two more last winter and another two this year. Maisie also featured in the film Flight of the Swans, a story of hope and discovery looking at how communities across 11 countries, from the Arctic to the UK, are working hard to protect Bewick’s swans and wetlands.

Bewick's swan Maisie.

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