November 17, 2023 – Rose Cooper
Climate change has delayed the return of winter for Slimbridge – as the area’s famous Bewick swans demonstrated in their late flight home.
The Bewick swans who migrate every year to Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) finally flew in yesterday – albeit much later than usual.
Their arrival marks the start of winter, but it is the first time since 1965 the rare Bewick swans have been so late. Penny Read, from the WWT, said “climate change is the culprit.”
Since the climate has increased, migrating birds do not need to go as far afield to find an ideal place to spend their winter. The official term is short stopping. The bevy of swans that inhabit Slimbridge have started doing just this in the last few years.
Penny has been monitoring the flight paths of the swans in her time at the WWT, and believes the trend of short stopping will only continue.
“In years to come, the swans that the trust has been tracking for the last 60 years may eventually stop migrating back to England and just go as far as the Netherlands” – which is where they have been monitored to be short stopping at.
The Wetlands Trust monitors over 10,000 Bewick swans. They do this so they can track migration stats for all birds but also to see this particular bevy’s overall health, track if numbers fall or grow and be able to find out why, and to help the swans if they ever need.
WWT founder and conservationist Sir Peter Scott works extremely closely with the bevy, even naming some of the swans himself. The trust’s most beloved family of Bewick’s swans is Maisie, her partner Maifield and their two cygnets. They arrived with a warm welcome from the staff. They now have the green light for putting up Christmas decorations!
