Swan named Mr Bond set to reveal migration secrets

A graceful, feathered Mr Bond should soon be skyfalling into the UK to help scientists uncover more about its long migration route.

The Bewick’s swan, coded 007T and named Mr Bond, was one of 10 Bewick’s fitted with GPS tracking devices by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust before the birds’ migration from the UK last January.

Their return from Arctic Russia, which is expected imminently and comes as the cast is announced for the next Bond film, will reveal the route of the swans’ 1,800-mile migration journey over at least six countries.

WWT is keen to learn which course the birds take between the Dutch and East Anglian coasts. That stretch of water includes proposed sites for Round 3 windfarms.

Dr Eileen Rees, WWT’s Head of UK Waterbird Conservation, said: “Bewick’s are in decline and this data will help tell us whether North Sea development poses a threat. We don’t yet know the impact of windfarms on the swans but information we collect on their flight paths between Norfolk and the Netherlands could help determine the safest sites for them.

“Between 5,000 and 7,000 Bewick’s cross that stretch of water twice each year so safeguarding their passage as much as we can is paramount.”

A total of 10 Bewick’s swans were fitted with GPS units at WWT reserves at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire and Welney, Norfolk. One device (010T) has fallen from the neck collar of a bird seen in Latvia. 007T has reached the Netherlands and is ahead of the remainder. The bird is expected to cross the North Sea when north-easterly winds prevail.

If 007T and other birds stay in the Netherlands, WWT scientists will retrieve data from the solar-powered devices there.

Julia Newth, Species Monitoring Assistant, said: “We’re hoping not to have to make a mad dash to the Netherlands to download the data but if it gets to January and looks like some of the birds aren’t coming to Britain, we’ll have to go over there and find them.”

The full codes on the white collars range from 001T to 010T

. WWT is keen for wildlife watchers to look out for the birds. Sightings should be emailed to colourmarkedswans@wwt.org.uk

Ends

For more information contact prteam@wwt.org.uk / 01453 891162

http://www.wwt.org.uk/

Notes to editors

• The Bewick’s return comes as the cast is announced for Skyfall, the 23^rd Bond film.

• More on Round 3 windfarm proposals here. WWT supports the search for alternatives to fossil fuels but believes that wind turbines should not be sited in locations where they may have a significant effect upon wetland birds or wetland sites.

• Bewick’s and whooper swans both migrate to the UK. Both species have straight necks rather than the curved neck of the native mute swan. Bewick’s have more black and less yellow on their bill than whoopers and have faster wing beats than both other swan species. It was WWT founder Sir Peter Scott who first noticed, in 1964, that Bewick’s could be distinguished by the yellow and black pattern on their bills. WWT has been studying Bewick’s swans for nearly 50 years and has unrivalled knowledge of the birds.

• Bewick’s were named after Thomas Bewick, an ornithologist, engraver and bird illustrator.
  • The north-west European population of Bewick’s swan declined from 29,500 to 21,500 birds between 1995 and 2005. Possible reasons include:
    • Researchers found 23% of live Bewick’s x-rayed between 2000 and 2009 had embedded shotgun pellets in their tissues. The species is legally protected throughout its flyway;
    • Collision with power lines is the most commonly reported cause of death for Bewick’s on wintering grounds although it is not thought to be a main reason for population decline;
    • The significance of collision with wind turbines is unknown because of limited post-construction monitoring;
    • Analysis undertaken in the 1990s found that lead poisoning caused the death of 14.6% of adult Bewick’s swans subjected to post-mortem examination in the UK and more recent research indicates that it accounts for an estimated 8.7% of waterfowl mortality in Europe.  Lethal exposure to discarded lead ammunition is the most common source of lead poisoning in wildfowl which mistakenly take spent lead shotgun pellets, bullets, and associated fragments to be food or grit. Grit aids digestion within the swan’s muscular gizzard;
    • Bewick’s swans rely on suitable stop-over sites to replenish fat reserves to complete their migration. Insufficient food during the two to three week staging period in the White Sea area is likely to be crucial for a successful onward flight to breeding grounds and subsequent breeding success. Most north-west European Bewick’s birds stop in this area during spring migration. Changing agricultural practices could be causing a reduction in available food and disturbance; 
    • Industrial development driven by oil and gas extraction may be causing damage to, and loss of, swan habitats particularly breeding and moulting sites. It may cause disturbance by opening up less accessible areas in the Russian Arctic. Large terminals and pipelines for gas transportation from Russia to western Europe are being built in the Finnish Gulf. Important swan spring-staging habitats (shallow waters in sheltered bays and around archipelagos) are affected;
    • Climate change may in future restrict the species’ breeding range as a result of the northward extension of the boreal zone and sea level rise. These changes are likely to be slow but could cause a slow decline.

• The Ouse Washes, including WWT’s Welney reserve in Norfolk, is the Bewick’s most important overwintering site, attracting around 6,000 individuals. Between 300 and 400 more Bewick’s usually continue west to Slimbridge, staying until March.

• The GPS devices can only release data in December and January so timing is critical. Researchers must be within 200 metres of the units. The units were programmed to provide location data at 45 minute intervals between February and March 2011 and subsequently at less frequent intervals. The study will provide valuable additional information on the swans’ migration phenology – the duration of their stay at staging sites and their distribution over breeding areas.

• Julia Newth, writes a regular blog on the Bewick’s migration and stay at Slimbridge. The Bewick’s is one of five species that can be adopted. Funds from the scheme support conservation work.

• Bewick’s can also occasionally be seen at WWT’s Martin Mere centre in Lancashire. Several WWT centres stage public swan feeding events. Check the WWT website for details.

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