Swan news

Swanfall after a slow start to 2020

Swanfall after a slow start to 2020

Kane Brides and Steve Heaven update us on the - much later than expected, but nonetheless extremely welcome - influx of Bewick's swans to the UK this winter.

4 December 2020

Travelling 'swan exhibition' diaries

Travelling 'swan exhibition' diaries

One of the challenges facing WWT as it works to save and protect Bewick’s swans from illegal hunting across the flyway, is how to change people’s behaviour so it’s no longer socially acceptable to hunt the birds. Our Swan Champions Project is a g

30 April 2020

Elroy in Estonia!

Elroy in Estonia!

Spring has sprung and the Bewick’s swans are making excellent progress on their migration back to their breeding grounds in the Russian Arctic!

31 March 2020

International Swan Census: January 2020

International Swan Census: January 2020

Internationally coordinated censuses of the Northwest European Bewick’s swan population have been undertaken across the swans’ European wintering range at approximately 5-year intervals since 1984, with the next census scheduled for the weekend of 11/

8 January 2020

The Big Brood Count!

The Big Brood Count!

Around the weekend of 14/15 December the Swan Specialist Group held a co-ordinated count in Europe to find out how many cygnets were born this year. The NW European wintering population has been declining since the mid-1990s. To try to understand this dec

23 December 2019

Feeding in the fields

Feeding in the fields

With winter in full swing, many Bewick’s swans have arrived at their wintering sites in northwest Europe. WWT’s centres provide some of the most important roost sites for the swans visiting Britain, with WWT Welney alone supporting more than 30% of Eu

11 December 2019

Swan Special Issue

Swan Special Issue

WWT is well known for carrying out research to help us better understand the threats faced by swans and how we can help. In October 2018 some of our scientists travelled to Tartu in Estonia for the 6th International Swan Symposium, a global gathering o

5 December 2019

Cold weather brings swan fall!

Cold weather brings swan fall!

Dipping temperatures encouraged thousands more Bewick’s swans to push on with their migration through Europe over the weekend, triggering a ‘swan fall’ at Slimbridge! Numbers on the reserve jumped from 25 on Friday to 63 today which kept swan res

3 December 2019

WWT's Julia Newth discusses science, swans and Slimbridge

WWT's Julia Newth discusses science, swans and Slimbridge

Swan expert Dr Julia Newth reveals what it is like being part of one of the longest studies of any single species.

3 December 2019

Bewick's touch down at Slimbridge!

Bewick's touch down at Slimbridge!

The first two Bewick’s of the winter have arrived at Slimbridge wetland centre fresh from the Russian arctic! The adult male was immediately recognised by its distinctive black and yellow bill pattern as a bird named Gastro by our researcher Steve Heave

13 November 2019

Bewick's on the move!

Bewick's on the move!

Thousands of Bewick’s swans are on the move as they escape the arctic winter which is rapidly closing in on their breeding grounds in northern Russia.

25 October 2018

Spring migration after the snow!

Spring migration after the snow!

The 1st of March is the official start of spring here in the UK but last weekend told a rather different story! The Bewick’s swans were forced to stay where they were and hunker down as an unusually late cold snap brought blizzards from the south-west.

9 March 2018

First Swan Specialist Group website launched!

First Swan Specialist Group website launched!

Swan Specialist Group website We are very pleased to announce the launch of the first Wetlands International-IUCN/SSC Swan Specialist Group website! We hope that the website will provide a platform to facilitate effective communication between members a

9 March 2018

My life with whooper swans

My life with whooper swans

I am Damien and I’m back again to talk to you about our amazing, fantastic winter visitors, the Icelandic whooper swans, and to give you an insight into my thoughts on how I feel when they spend the winter with us here in Lancashire and the epic migrati

2 March 2018

Dealer reunites with Croupier!

Dealer reunites with Croupier!

When Croupier arrived in December without Dealer, his long-term partner of 19 years, we feared the worse. It is rare for long-term partnerships to dissolve whilst both birds are still alive and we therefore resigned ourselves to the likelihood that Dealer

26 January 2018