Global effort to save swans
WWT Washington Wetland Centre has joined an international expedition to help save one of the world’s swan species.
David Dinsley from WWT Washington visited Arctic Russia in August to monitor Bewick’s critically endangered birds.
The trip came as part of Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust’s long-term study of the bird, started by founder Sir Peter Scott in the 1960s.
David, 30, was selected to join WWT’s monitoring assistant Kane Brides on the 2000-mile annual trip to catch and ring the birds at their remote tundra breeding grounds.
He said: “Personally, I’ve achieved something I really wanted to do – contribute to a long-term conservation strategy and experience catching and working with wild swans out in the field.
“I’m proud to be part of the ongoing efforts to continue Sir Peter Scott’s legacy.”
The aim of the trip was to catch and ring as many birds as possible in two weeks, to increase the number of individuals that can be identified in the field.
Sixty Bewick swans were tagged, ten of which had been done previously.
The tundra camp was seven hours away from the nearest town.
David added: “Not many Brits, or even Russians, get to go up there.
“As a human, sharing the territory of such incredible wildlife, not only Bewick’s swans but Arctic fox, white-tailed sea eagles, black-throated divers, hen harriers, tundra bean geese and coypu to name just a few, was an amazing experience I’ll not forget.”
Re-sightings of these ringed swans as they journey back across Europe to over-winter in the UK gives researchers information on the movements, site fidelity, breeding success and survival of individual birds.
This data is vital to help answer important questions about the bird’s population decline.
Russian colleagues from the Nenetsky Zapovednik have been protecting the area since it was designated as a National Nature Reserve in 1997.