Graham Workman's Nature Notes column: The Whooper Swans have arrived
The first few small family parties of Whoopers landed last week.
It was off to our local Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust site at Martin Mere in Lancashire this morning as a small number of Whooper Swans had arrived early as it’s usually into October before we see them – the site is always much more interesting when the Pink Feet and Whoopers arrive – the heralds of winter is fast approaching or as Ned Stark frequently made a point of saying ‘Winter is Coming’!
Only a few small family groups have arrived so far and it probably only a refuelling stop before they move on east and south. Won't be that long though before thousands of geese and swans arrive to spend winter here.
Whooper swans are an incredibly rare breeding bird in the UK, with just a handful of pairs in remote areas of northern Scotland. The Icelandic swans that breed in Iceland are usually here from autumn to spring – October to March being the normal period.
Come Spring the whooper swans will make the non-stop return flight from their wintering grounds here in the UK back to their breeding grounds in Iceland. During the flights from and returning to Iceland they travel at very high altitudes - a pilot flying at 8,000m once reported seeing a flock of swans heading north that were thought to be whoopers.
Back in Iceland some of the areas where they feed are rich in iron compounds which stain the head and neck feathers of the swans a noticeable "rust" colour – this staining will be lost during their winter moults.
Whooper swans are similar in size to our resident mute swan but with a very noticeable large, wedge-shaped, mostly yellow bill.
They can often be found feeding on agricultural land as well as open water.
Whooper numbers have risen sharply in recent years with over 10,000 now being seen on the Ouse Washes alone. They’re a loud species and can often be heard "bugling" when feeding and in flight.
The other winter swan is the Bewick’s (Cygnus columbianus bewickii) which just to confuse matters also have a yellow and black bill.
They are easy enough to tell apart if you know what to look for. Their bills are the give away! Whooper has a whopping amount of yellow Bewicks a lot less!
Bewicks are a pretty rare bird here in the North West – 40 years ago they were much more numerous locally.
Male and female Whooper Swans have the same names as our resident Mute Swans – cob is male and the female Pen. Cob originates from middle English period cobbe meaning leader of a group and the chicks are known as cygnets from the Latin word for swan, cygnus.
Whopper Swans are large swans that average 4.6 – 5.6 feet (1.4 – 1.65 meters) in length. The male tends to be larger than the female, averaging 5.6 feet (1.65 meters) and weighing about 24 lbs (10.8 kg); while the female typically weighs 17.9 lbs (8.1 kg). Their wingspan is an impressive 6.75 – 9.2 feet (2.1 – 2.8 meters).