Whooper swans – 1766
Bewick’s swans – 243
Dawn swan count
This entry was posted in Welney sightings and tagged AUTUMNWATCH, Bewick's swans, migration, MIGRATION_WATCH, swan feeds, swans, Welney, wetlands, whooper swans, Wildlife. Bookmark the permalink.
Bewick’s are back
Our first Bewick’s swan flew in to WWT Welney yesterday, right on schedule and just a day after the first arrival at WWT Slimbridge. So that now we have all three species of UK swan on site for visitors to see. Water levels have peaked and currently only the Reedbed hide is closed with welly boots needed to access Nelson-Lyle, Lyle, Allport and Friends hides.
Sightings from yesterday:
Bewick’s swan – 1
Jack snipe – 1
Little gull – 1
White-fronted goose – 30
Marsh harrier – 3 (roosting in front of the main observatory)
Fieldfare (large flocks)
Curlew
Ruff
Goldren plover
Ring ouzel
Water rail
This entry was posted in Welney sightings and tagged AUTUMNWATCH, Bewick's swans, migration, swans, Welney, wetlands, wwt welney. Bookmark the permalink.
Mute swans tower above recent floods
Mute swan nest in flood
As flooding affects the nesting season on the Ouse washes at WWT Welney, one pair of swans are towering above the lapping water.
A determined pair of mute swans are refusing to lose their nest to the flood waters at Welney. Gathering what vegetation they can find, they are trying to weather the rising waters to continue incubating their eggs and hopefully hatch the cygnets inside.
As a result of the flooding on the Ouse washes this spring the breeding season at Welney has come to a standstill. But one of the many pairs of mute swans which breed on the reserve is not giving up without a battle. Since the waters came on they have increased the height of their nest from its origins on the banks of the ditch next to the footpaths.
Mute swans are native to the UK and remain close to their breeding territories all year round. Visitors can see the mute swans up close in the winter at the swan feeds, during which time the reserve is home to an additional 10,000 swans migrating from more northerly breeding grounds. But during the summer the whooper swans from Iceland and the Bewick’s swans from Arctic Russia are absent leaving the whole wetland site for the mute swans to use to hatch and raise their cygnets.
‘The water levels have now started to drop, relieving the pressure on this particular pair of mute swans’ says Marketing and Events Officer, Emma Brand. ‘We hope the levels will continue to drop over the next week or two so that we are ready for the June half term activities, which include pond-dipping, moths on display and biodiversity blitz sessions’.
The water levels are now decreasing with hopes that the reserve will start to open up again to visitors and provide feeding areas for the birds once more. Updated information on the access on the reserve and what activities are available can be found at www.wwt.org.uk/Welney .
Witness a flurry of feathers this half term at WWT Welney!
Welney regular Baldur (U5B), his mate U5S, and last year's brood of 7 cygnets. David Featherbe
See some feathery favourites at the floodlit swan feeds such as Baldur, Wimble and Toby Two! As well as catching up with our Welney hatched whooper ,‘Junior’, along with parents Romeo and Julietta.
Thousands of wintering swans will be preparing for their spring migrations by catching a feed at WWT Welney. Spectacular evening floodlit feeds at 6.30pm (Thurs-Sun) as well
as daily 12noon and 3.30pm feeds, offer chances to get close to these amazing birds. Some of which are well know to staff at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) at Welney.
This winter there have been plenty of familiar faces amongst the swans including Toby Two, ringed at Welney in 2008 and Wimble who was ringed in Iceland in 2000. Amongst these individual swans there are whole family groups jostling for a place at the feeds including Baldur and his mate with this year’s brood of five cygnets. As well as the whooper pair Romeo and Julietta and their Welney hatched cygnet, ‘Junior’, who has been mixing with the migratory swans at the feeds. A question that we all would like the answer to is will this cygnet take to the skies this spring and follow the migration to Iceland – its
first ever migration!
Samantha Lee, Public Engagement Officer at Welney comments on the half term activities on offer next week. ‘The swan feeds are a really unique experience and in this cold weather, with the birds brought closer to the hides you really don’t need specialist equipment to be able to enjoy them. It’s incredible to see swans returning to Welney each winter and to get to know some of the birds really well is a privilege.’
‘During half term there is also the chance to learn more about our winter migrants with our discovery trail out on the reserve. Or if visitors need to take a break from the cold and warm up in the visitor centre there will be led sessions on how to make fat-feeders for garden birds from 1.45-2.45pm with activity stations available throughout the day.’
The Ouse washes wetlands site at Welney is the UK’s largest winter roosting site for whooper and Bewick’s swans. Add to this, thousands of wintering duck and you have one of the best winter wildlife spectacles in the UK right on the doorstep. The swan feeds are a great way to learn about these fantastic birds and the amazing migrations they undertake to get to the UK each year.
For more information on the swan feeds and other activities at WWT Welney call the centre on 01353 860711, go to our events page or follow us on twitter @WWTWelney.
This entry was posted in Welney news and tagged bird feders, floodlit feed, half term, migration, pintail, Pochard, swan feeds, swans, Welney, wetland activities, whooper swans, Wigeon, Wildlife. Bookmark the permalink.
Wildlife suffering as countryside dries out
Farming and wildlife likely to come into conflict as limited water directed to domestic supply
Nature experts warn that this summer could be the worst for wildlife in over 30 years if the current period of low rainfall continues.
Rainfall has been so low that in many areas the level of moisture in the soil is currently worse than in 1976, when the UK suffered one of the most severe droughts on record[i].
Flock of grazing wigeon by James Lees
All creatures need water to survive and reports from around the UK indicate wildlife is already being affected. As WWT’s Welney Wetland Centre in Norfolk is located in one of the worst affected areas by the drought, there has not been enough rainfall to flood the grassland habitats, which has meant less food for grazing ducks such as wigeon.
But even through these worrying times, there have been both positive and negative effects on wildlife. Usually one of the biggest problems to the Ouse Washes is too much water (at the wrong times) leading to the inundation of breeding wader habitat and the loss of chicks. Last year this didn’t happen and we had fairly good breeding success this summer. The winter levels on the washes are also not too bad because they are being maintained by tidal influence. However, the areas of wet grassland further away from the river channels are very dry and we simply do not have enough water to keep them wet, this is affecting the numbers of wintering wildfowl such as wigeon.
Although water supply to most homes may not be affected as water companies have measures in place to collect and store enough water for domestic supply, this comes at the expense of the countryside. Farming is already under pressure to produce crops with an uncertain water supply. If supplies dwindle as predicted this summer, the conflict is likely to be pitched as farming vs. wildlife when really both are victims of the way water is used
and managed.
WWT’s Head of Wetland Conservation, Rob Shore, has been hearing reports from WWT’s wetland reserves around the country. He said:
“We haven’t yet had the dreaded hosepipe ban warnings but wildlife is the proverbial canary in the cage. We want government to tackle this problem before it gets out of hand – not just relieving the problem this year but by putting plans in place to prevent this happening again.”
“We have the technical solutions and have identified regulation, from farming subsidies to water company regulation, which could be tweaked to keep more water on the land to help wildlife and farmers. Ultimately it will benefit all of us as consumers.”
One solution being proposed is to create lots of small wetland areas to capture rainwater when it does fall. By slowing the flow of water off the land these allow more water to percolate into soils and aquifers. The added benefit is that they prevent soil, nutrients and other pollutants from being washed into our rivers, which in turn reduces the costs of water treatment.
Rob Shore continued: “We’re struggling to keep our wetlands wet in winter which is virtually unheard of. The knock on effect will be on the birds breeding in spring, so it is easy to see how quickly this can escalate. What we are proposing are small but sensible changes, which bring very tangible benefits for all of us.”
Despite some recent rain, the majority of river systems in England or Wales are currently flowing at below average levels and many are critically low[ii]. The situation is even worse for our groundwater supplies, which have not been replenished over the autumn and winter.
Rain has generally fallen in short, heavy bursts and run straight off the dry, compacted land and very quickly ended up in the sea. This is already raising the threat of flooding at the same time as drought. Climate change is predicted to bring heavier and less frequent rain making this a more common occurrence.
[i]
Environment Agency weekly water situation report Wednesday 18 – Tuesday 24
January 2012 http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Research/WE_240112.pdf
[ii]
Environment Agency weekly water situation report Wednesday 18 – Tuesday 24
January 2012 http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Research/WE_240112.pdf
Late arrivals touchdown at Slimbridge to escape harsh weather
Rhune (left) and Roscoff arrived late this season. Photo by Colin Butters
A swan couple has surprised staff at a wildlife reserve in Gloucestershire by arriving at their usual winter migration spot weeks late.
Bewick’s swans Roscoff and Rhune were last sighted in March last year in Germany on their spring migration.
When they failed to arrive at Slimbridge Wetland Centre towards the end of last year, experts there thought they probably decided to winter closer to their summer home in Arctic Russia because of the unseasonably mild weather.
Now it seems the recent cold snap persuaded them to complete their migration further west. A further eight swans also arrived this week and have been making themselves at home on the icy Rushy Lake.
Julia Newth, said: “The pair are likely to have reached the Netherlands or Germany before stopping early in the mild weather as they found they didn’t need to travel so far for food.
“The unusually harsh weather conditions seen on the continent this week will have pushed them that little bit further and the memory of Slimbridge as a safe place with daily supplies of grain provided will have undoubtedly spurred them on!”
“We first welcomed Roscoff here 10 years ago and she is very regular, normally arriving ahead of Christmas.
“They have had to jostle for territory with the swans that have been here for some weeks but they seem to have settled in well.
“I’m looking forward to pointing her out to visitors when I do the swan bill sketching sessions on Saturday for the Festival of Birds.”
There are now 189 swans on the Rushy Lake at Slimbridge.
This weekend (February 4 and 5) the swans will feature in the programme at a swan bill sketching session and swan focus on the Saturday and during the commentated Wild Bird Feeds happening on both days.
All the events at the Festival are included in the normal cost of admission.
The Bewick’s can be recognised by their unique yellow and black bill patterns. This allows experts at Slimbridge to identify them and record their data.
This entry was posted in Slimbridge news and tagged Bewick's, birds, cold, gloucestershire, Slimbridge, swans, weather, Wildlife, winter. Bookmark the permalink.
The winter heat of the WWT Photography Competition is going strong with the deadline looming!
The heat is on as the days start to lengthen, which can mean only one thing – there is not much time to enter photos in the winter heat of the WWT photography competition. Following on from the success of the autumn heat which received an influx of over 2,500 online entries and a staggering 12,800 votes in the People’s Choice category, the next season has much to live up to. WWT Welney is calling on all nature lovers and photographers to submit their most prized pictures of what winter at this amazing wetlands site means to them, before 29 February 2012 when the winter heat will close.
Winter brings such a lot of activity to the reserve at WWT Welney and can provide some spectacular conditions for photography on those cold but sunny winter days. Frozen water in the fens can produce serene views and unusual antics such as swans gliding down to land on unfamiliar textures and ducks skidding after grain at the feeds.
Our autumn heat winners had all been announced except the people’s choice category for which voting ran until 31 December 2011. The photograph which captured people’s imaginations the most was a black and white image called ‘the witches’ corner’ by Hayley Wincott, winner also of the people and wildlife category in the same heat. Her image of fungi at WWT Welney captured in a unique way managed to attract 294 votes to beat the competition. All the regional winners for each of the four seasonal heats will go through to the national finals to be held in autumn 2012.
Whilst photographs entered into all the other categories much have been taken at one
of WWT’s nine wetland wildlife centres across the UK, the World Wetlands category invites entries taken of wetlands large or small, good or bad, from all over the world. These can range from rivers in Rwanda, lakes in Lagos to creeks in Colorado, or even one of the most extreme wetlands in the world, Antarctica. A shortlist will be chosen from this category for each seasonal heat to go on to the national finals.
Finally, to be in with the chance of winning the grand prize of the trip to Antarctica,
entrants must submit at least three or more photographs in at least two or more
seasonal heats. If this criteria is met, the entrant’s ‘portfolio’ will be automatically entered into the Portfolio Photographer of the Year category. At the national finals, each portfolio photographer’s three best photographs (as shortlisted by the judges) will be considered with the winner receiving the Portfolio Photographer of the Year Award and the grand prize of a 12-day fully inclusive trip to Antarctica, courtesy of Exodus in partnership with Quark Expeditions.
The competition is being held in association with Canon, in celebration of the Scott Antarctic Expedition Centenary, and offers an amazing £50,000 worth of fantastic prizes for the national winners, including a grand prize for the Portfolio Photographer category of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica courtesy of Exodus in partnership with Quark Expeditions. Visit www.wwt.org.uk/photo for full details.
For more information, or to enter the competition, visit www.wwt.org.uk/photo. For more information on WWT Welney and the centre’s events visit www.wwt.org.uk/welney.
This entry was posted in Welney news and tagged migration, people's choice, photography, photography competition, swans, Welney, winter heat. Bookmark the permalink.
Norfolk through the lens – WWT Welney winners of the Autumn heat
Swans by Ian Taylor
Norfolk’s Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Centre, WWT, located in Welney has named the four regional winners in the autumn heat of its nationwide photography competition.
From the creative to the cute; keen photographers in and around Norfolk were invited to submit entries for four photography categories in the first seasonal heat of its national competition; WWT Photography Competition (2011 – 2012).
Ian Taylor, a finance worker, aged 27, from Maida Vale, London, was named winner in the Wetland Wildlife category, with his picture entitled ‘Swans’.
Welney at sunset by Albert Horton
Albert Horton, a retired local Government officer, aged 71, from March in Cambridgeshire, was named winner in the Wetland Landscapes category, with his picture entitled ‘Welney at Sunset’.
Hayley Wincott, a aged from , was named winner in the Wildlife & People category, with her picture entitled ‘Seeking the Hide’.
And, Karenanne Millburn, aged 15, from Downham Market High School, in Upwell, was named Young Photographer, following her picture submission entitled ‘Emotion’.
Seeking the hide by Hayley Wincott
The competition was open to visitors at the nine WWT wetland centres around the UK. Julie Ward, Centre manager at local WWT Welney Wetland Centre, said: “We received over 2,500 submissions across the country, but the quality of the entries from these four fantastic winners caught the judges’ eye and really bought our WWT wetland centre to life. The competition encourages people to get really close to all the fantastic wildlife we have here at Welney; and these stunning images show off some of the most elegant and beautiful array of birds and other animals seen within a stunning wetland landscape during the autumn.”
The autumn seasonal winners have each won a place on an acclaimed photography course, held by nature photography experts Wild Arena. Each of the winners will also now go through to the national finals to be held in autumn 2012, where £50,000 worth of prizes are up for grabs including wildlife photography and activity holidays.
As the winner of the Wetland Wildlife Category, Ian Taylor will also be in with the chance to win a three-day bird of prey photography workshop in the Czech Republic if he is voted the national winner. Though he lives in London, Ian visits the Welney WWT wetlands centre for day trips with his family. Wildlife photography is his hobby, he said: “It can be so difficult to photograph birds in flight. I’d been sat in a hide at the centre waiting for about 40 minutes but nothing was happening. All of a sudden three swans flew up and I was able to get my winning shot. I was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time.”
Winner Albert Horton has held his WWT membership for two years. “I am a keen photographer and have been a member of March’s local camera club for many years. I was really happy with my winning photo as soon as I took it. The conditions and the lighting were ideal, so it was just a case of getting the composition and exposure right.”
Emotion by Karenanne Millburn
Young Photographer winner, Karenanne Millburn, has won the Young Photographer category for the last three years. She has been a WWT member for about five years and typically visits the centre with her Mum. “I usually take around 300 photographs every time I visit the WWT centre. I am so pleased to have won. My winning shot was taken just as the sunset was falling, the sky was moody but the sun was still trying to peep through. I really enjoy taking photos and have just secured a place at City of Norwich College doing photography A Level.”
The winter heat of the competition is now open and photographers can enter their prize pictures taken at WWT centres online at www.wwt.org.uk/photo until 29th February 2012. Entrants are encouraged to enter more than two of the seasonal heats to automatically go into the Portfolio Photographer of the Year category and to be in with a chance of winning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica.
Julie Ward says, “Our WWT wetland centre isn’t just for budding photographers; it’s for everyone who enjoys nature, wildlife or simply just a great day out. Winter is truly spectacular at WWT’s Welney wetland centre with the well renound swans that the Fens are so famous for. We have the largest roost site in the UK for bewick’s and whooper swans, so there are some excellent opportuntities to capture the perfect swans-scape. Especially at dusk visitors can enjoy watching several hundred swans dropping down onto the main lagoon, sometimes as many as up to 1,000 swans at a time. It’s like watching snow falling out of the sky.”
For more information on your local WWT wetland centre, please visit: www.wwt.org.uk/welney.
This entry was posted in Welney news and tagged Bewick's swans, migration, people & wetlands, photography, photography competition, Pochard, swans, Welney, wetland landscapes, wetland wildlife, whooper swans, Wildlife, young photographer. Bookmark the permalink.
Migration on pause as winds switch direction
After a busy window of migration things have slowed right down here at Slimbridge. The winds have changed to a westerly direction so few birds are arriving.
In the last week numbers have grown of lapwing (4,000) and golden plover (1200).
There was also a good passage of fieldfare over the site last week.
Bewick’s swan numbers have remained about 90 for the last few days, so a lot more are still to arrive.
Two bitterns have arrived on the site and are viewable from the South Finger hides. They are likely to stick around now.
This entry was posted in Slimbridge sightings and tagged Bewick's swans, lapwing, migration, Slimbridge, swans, Wildlife. Bookmark the permalink.
Some familiar faces
This week we’ve had local media visiting, filming the swans return to Welney and the spectacle at dusk (as it is at its best at the moment). They got some good footage of hundreds and hundreds of swans, whoopers and Bewick’s feeding in the arable land surrounding the Ouse washes, a short distance from the Welney visitor centre.
Earlier in the week one of our volunteers had gone out to see if she could find any birds with idenitication rings on their legs, or maybe even the neck-collared Bewick’s which have electronic trackers on them. She saw several individuals that have been ringed at Welney as recently as 2008, these included, L4C, L5C, L5J, L5K and L5S. But on this morning’s swans awake event a whooper swan with the indentification ring VPC was seen from Lyle hide with a mate and 5 cygnets. On looking up this number back in the centre I’ve found that it is a female whooper swans called Ouse, who is at least 18 years old!
It is amazing to think that some of these birds, like Ouse, have flown over 54,000km (43,000 miles) in their lifetime, migrating from Iceland to Welney and back again! It is worth looking out for these coloured identification rings on the swans around Welney as there are some amazing stories to these birds. If you record these numbers in our main observatory you are helping to contribute to years of research. So next time you visit don’t forget to keep an eye out for these special birds!
This entry was posted in Welney sightings and tagged Bewick's swans, migration, Pochard, Ring numbers, swans, whooper swans. Bookmark the permalink.
