08/03/18 - Whoopers on the move

Last week saw the first herds of Whooper Swans returning northwards, as the first groups of six and four passed north-west over Bank Island. With 140+ wintering birds still present in the valley, these are likely to be birds that have wintered further south around the Ouse Washes, and making the first leg of their return migration back to their breeding grounds in Iceland, perhaps staging at Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserves in the north-west sites - Martin Mere in Lancashire or Caerlaverock in Dumfries and Galloway. Most of these passage birds, which can often pause in the valley for several hours en-route, move through the site in mid-March, and in recent years up to 600-700 birds have been logged on return spring passage. Please keep an eye out for colour-ringed birds in the herds – recently regular valley birder Duncan Bye spotted G5Z at North Duffield Carrs. This was an adult female ringed at this site during the winter of 2013/14, it’s great to see her back again, and with a partner and four cygnets – we’ll be looking forward to welcoming her once again next October, hopefully with another generation of LDV wintering Whoopers in tow.