The first herds of returning Whooper Swans (totalling 88 individuals) passed through the LDV on the way back from their Icelandic breeding grounds last week, and we expect others to follow over the coming days as more birds arrive and pass through the area on the way to the wintering areas in the Cambridgeshire Fens, before our resident wintering birds settle on the reserve later in the year as more birds depart Iceland.
Around 40,000 Whooper Swans now winter in the UK with the majority being found in the northern half of the country, and large numbers are known to gather at the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust centres such as Martin Mere, Caerlaverock and Welney. Numbers in the LDV usually build-up from mid-October and reach between 150-200 birds, with North Duffield Carrs and the fields by Bubwith Bridge being favoured areas. The trumpeting herds passing over the reserve are a truly welcome sight and sound of autumn, and all records are appreciated, so please do let us know if you see (or hear) any flocks passing over the area.
Image courtesy of LDV birder Trevor Walton 📸
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