Bewick's swans finally reach Slimbridge Wetland Centre after battling storms and climate change
The late arrival of Bewick’s swans in the UK for winter could be linked to warmer weather, experts believe.
A bonded pair named Maisie and Maifield, and their two cygnets, landed at the Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire on Thursday 16 November.
They have travelled an epic 3,500-km from Russia's arctic tundra, and are the latest arrivals since 1965, when scientists began monitoring returning flocks.
Maisie first wintered at Slimbridge nine years ago and has returned to the reserve every year. In 2016, she arrived with her new mate Maifield.
They are small and white, with a black and yellow bill and every winter they return to the UK to escape the arctic winters of Russia.
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 are working hard to protect swans and wetlands.
Milder conditions caused by climate change may mean we see fewer of these birds flying to the UK in the colder months, with their winter strongholds moving steadily east.
Kane Brides, from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, said: “For the second year in a row we’re seeing Bewick’s swans returning later than we would expect, with Maisie and Maifield being the latest first arrival on record since 1965.
"Bewick’s swans are a bird that holds special importance to WWT, appearing on our logo and being the subject of a 60-year single species study which has allowed us to track the species’ fortunes in the UK in minute detail for decades.
"If more individuals end up ‘short-stopping’ their autumn migration, it’s possible that in decades to come we might no longer expect to see Bewick’s swans at WWT Slimbridge, a tangible impact of climate change playing out right before our eyes."
Although the impact of the weather on bird migration is still being understood, it is thought the warmer climate is causing swans to arrive later and in smaller numbers. Experts also think the recent stormy and mild weather has had an impact.
As climate change warms the tundra where they breed, it is likely the swans are leaving their summer homes later, with fewer travelling as far west as previous generations.
Research has already shown that their wintering range has shifted more than 350km closer to their arctic breeding grounds since 1970, driven by increasing temperatures.
The population of these birds has plummeted in recent decades, following a series of poor breeding seasons. They also face the loss of healthy wetland habitats, as well as the impact of climate change, lead ammunition poisoning and illegal hunting.