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Cairo "Almasalla News "- Millions of migratory swans, geese and ducks are arriving in Britain after long and arduous flights from colder regions and can be seen at some of the UK’s nine Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust centres.
They will overwinter at UK wetlands which provide food and safety until temperatures rise sufficiently for the birds to return to breeding sites.
Their stay at WWT sites creates some of the most memorable natural spectacles anywhere in the UK and is being monitored and highlighted on WWT’s popular Migration Watch blog.
Stunning photos and film clips are complementing eye witness accounts of which birds have arrived, where and in what number. Blog readers can also put their questions to WWT experts and tell us about what they’ve seen themselves.
The blog’s resumption comes as the BBC’s Autumnwatch prepares to broadcast from WWT’s Slimbridge headquarters in Gloucestershire.
Julia Newth, a species monitoring expert at WWT, said: “Watching huge flocks of geese and swans is one of autumn’s great pleasures and anyone interested in wildlife cannot fail to be moved and astounded by the journeys they make to reach us.
“The UK is the winter home of birds that migrate from as far away as Canada and Siberia. Some species are doing well, but others are in serious decline. Our monitoring work helps identify which species are doing well and which are in trouble so that we can implement conservation measures where they are most needed..
“Check WWT’s website, enjoy the spectacle from your home or find out where you can get out to see it firsthand.”
Several WWT centres feed their migrant visitors daily, public events that attract hundreds of people.
Migration Watch will also stress the important conservation work undertaken for wildfowl. Some species are in decline and their long journeys often come with many risks such as adverse weather, shooting and flying accidents.
Satellite tracking is just one research tool currently used to learn more about the birds’ migrations and the obstacles they may encounter on the way. WWT’s reserves are managed to provide the best possible refuges for the birds during the winter, so that they are fit and healthy for their spring migration.
The UK is one of the most important places for migratory waterbirds with its long coast line and protected reserves. WWT centres are central to ensuring these birds’ survival. Last year, WWT Martin Mere in Lancashire had the best autumn migration in 15 years, with more than 1,300 whooper swans and 30,000 pink-footed geese.
More than 9,000 whooper and Bewick’s swans overwintered at WWT Welney in Norfolk while WWT Caerlaverock on the Solway Firth is expecting more than 35,000 barnacle geese
WWT’s Castle Espie reserve overlooking Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland hosts most of the world’s light-bellied brent geese while around 35,000 migrating wildfowl are likely to overwinter at WWT’s flagship reserve at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire.
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