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It's hard not to associate the Whooper Swans with winter as they usually turn up in the UK as the nights begin to get that much chillier. At WWT Welney on the Ouse Washes in Norfolk, the Whoopers gather in vast numbers - it really is a great migration spectacle. This also means it's a must for World on the Move so we sent our reporter, Chris Sperring, to meet up with reserve manager Leigh Marshall.
These particular Swans have migrated down from Iceland where they have spent the summer breeding. From Iceland they fly the 500 miles down to Scotland where they stop off before continuing their journey down to wetlands like those at WWT Welney. The flight between Iceland and Scotland usually comes in at about 12 hours - not bad going.
By mid November, there should be up to 5000 individuals here and throughout the winter they will be spending the day feeding on surrounding fields. Welney offers a haven for these Swans but Swan migration is a particularly dangerous one as we'll find out next week when we report on Bewick's Swans
Further Reading:
More images at Chris Sperring's blog
Next Swan report: Bewick's Swans arrive from Russia