1 00:00:35,186 --> 00:00:37,106 AJAY TEGALA: I was just having my morning coffee in the kitchen 2 00:00:37,406 --> 00:00:40,947 and I heard this distant kind of goose-like honking outside so I 3 00:00:40,967 --> 00:00:45,308 ran outside. Ah yes and there they are. My first whooper swans 4 00:00:45,309 --> 00:00:49,670 of the autumn. Ah they're quite a long way away but ah that 5 00:00:49,710 --> 00:00:52,530 distinctive sound I haven't heard it for six months but 6 00:00:52,591 --> 00:00:55,631 there they are fresh from Iceland. Ah it's so good to see 7 00:00:55,671 --> 00:00:57,612 them. Welcome back swans. 8 00:01:04,819 --> 00:01:06,900 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Did you know that the UK is home to three 9 00:01:06,980 --> 00:01:10,381 different species of swan and that one crosses a Siberian 10 00:01:10,461 --> 00:01:15,144 Tundra to get here? Well today, swan fan and wetland ranger Ajay 11 00:01:15,144 --> 00:01:19,325 Tegala is taking us to the Ouse Washes at Welney in Norfolk, to 12 00:01:19,385 --> 00:01:21,446 see if we can find this increasingly rare and 13 00:01:21,466 --> 00:01:24,528 hardworking swan amongst thousands of its hooping 14 00:01:24,588 --> 00:01:25,108 cousins. 15 00:01:26,644 --> 00:01:30,067 Welcome to Wild Tales, finding the Tundra swans. 16 00:01:38,274 --> 00:01:41,937 AJAY TEGALA: Every autumn, over my house, I hear resonant calls 17 00:01:42,277 --> 00:01:44,719 that sound a bit like a brass band tuning up. 18 00:01:46,901 --> 00:01:51,104 The arrival of hundreds of wild whooper swans is an anticipated 19 00:01:51,404 --> 00:01:55,227 and celebrated moment in my calendar. But there is one swan 20 00:01:55,327 --> 00:01:59,150 species I very rarely see. A swan that has eluded me for the 21 00:01:59,170 --> 00:02:03,273 last few winters. I'm determined that this year I'll see them 22 00:02:03,313 --> 00:02:05,514 again. The Bewick's swan. 23 00:02:08,016 --> 00:02:12,599 Back in January 2021, I spotted a flock of swans in the field 24 00:02:12,659 --> 00:02:15,681 next to my house. Looking through a telescope from the 25 00:02:15,701 --> 00:02:18,203 kitchen window, there were two Bewick's swans. 26 00:02:18,924 --> 00:02:22,746 Sometimes known as the Tundra swan for its epic migration, or 27 00:02:22,747 --> 00:02:26,320 the small swan, the once populous bird is becoming 28 00:02:26,420 --> 00:02:30,461 increasingly rare. I wanted to speak to someone who knew 29 00:02:30,561 --> 00:02:34,683 Bewick's swans in extraordinary detail. Someone who might 30 00:02:34,703 --> 00:02:37,583 understand why I was so desperate to see them again. 31 00:02:41,724 --> 00:02:44,925 DAFILA SCOTT: I remember drawing the birds outside my father's 32 00:02:44,945 --> 00:02:49,187 studio window when I was quite small and that eventually led to 33 00:02:49,227 --> 00:02:49,647 painting. 34 00:02:50,667 --> 00:02:54,168 AJAY TEGALA: This is Dafila Scott, an artist and zoologist. 35 00:02:54,452 --> 00:02:57,954 She spent her childhood at Slimbridge, a wetland wildlife 36 00:02:57,994 --> 00:03:01,796 reserve, as her father, Sir Peter Scott, was the founder of 37 00:03:01,797 --> 00:03:06,298 the Wildfowl And Wetlands Trust. So, from a young age, birds were 38 00:03:06,318 --> 00:03:07,559 a big part of her life. 39 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,342 We sit in the cafe on the edge of Wicken Fen, with the wetlands 40 00:03:12,402 --> 00:03:15,563 out the window and the bustle of warm life surrounding us. 41 00:03:16,564 --> 00:03:22,067 DAFILA SCOTT: February 1964, my father decided to bring the tame 42 00:03:22,547 --> 00:03:25,389 whistling swans from the collection to the pond in front 43 00:03:25,390 --> 00:03:29,132 of his house. And almost immediately, the wild Bewick's 44 00:03:29,192 --> 00:03:32,475 swans, which had been coming to the Severn Estuary for some 45 00:03:32,535 --> 00:03:37,058 time, came down onto the pond in front of his house. And this was 46 00:03:37,099 --> 00:03:37,839 very exciting. 47 00:03:38,099 --> 00:03:42,623 And he noticed that the one that came the first day was different 48 00:03:42,663 --> 00:03:45,365 from the one that came the second day. And that the pattern 49 00:03:45,385 --> 00:03:48,628 of the black and yellow on the bills was different. And so he 50 00:03:48,688 --> 00:03:52,531 drew them. He then started to record all the individuals that 51 00:03:52,591 --> 00:03:53,572 came that winter. 52 00:03:53,868 --> 00:03:57,469 So there were 24 that first winter, and he gave them names 53 00:03:57,470 --> 00:03:59,890 because that was easier to remember than numbers. And then 54 00:03:59,930 --> 00:04:02,831 the next year, when they came back again, some of them brought 55 00:04:02,851 --> 00:04:06,472 their signets with them. I think it was that year that I was ill 56 00:04:06,612 --> 00:04:09,133 and from school and I had to convalesce indoors. 57 00:04:09,653 --> 00:04:12,394 And so what was to do but look out the window at these 58 00:04:12,474 --> 00:04:16,755 wonderful swans? And I got completely hooked identifying 59 00:04:16,775 --> 00:04:20,963 them and drawing the patterns and recognizing them. Watching 60 00:04:21,003 --> 00:04:24,545 their behaviour, seeing, you know, who had cygnets, who 61 00:04:24,645 --> 00:04:28,648 didn't, who was mated with who, and who was dominant on the 62 00:04:28,668 --> 00:04:30,909 pond. Anyway, it was completely riveting. 63 00:04:31,249 --> 00:04:34,471 AJAY TEGALA: For Dafila, drawing the swans was a necessity as 64 00:04:34,531 --> 00:04:35,251 well as a love. 65 00:04:35,751 --> 00:04:38,133 DAFILA SCOTT: Because in those days, there weren't cameras that 66 00:04:38,173 --> 00:04:41,675 would focus in on individuals, you know, halfway across the 67 00:04:41,695 --> 00:04:45,517 pond. So you had to look through a telescope or large binoculars 68 00:04:45,617 --> 00:04:49,099 and then draw the pattern. And my father had devised... 69 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:53,802 a sort of cycler-styled face. So you drew the two sides and the 70 00:04:53,803 --> 00:04:57,024 front view as meticulously as you could. And he was very 71 00:04:57,344 --> 00:05:01,346 precise about it. You had to get it right. But it was very good 72 00:05:01,386 --> 00:05:05,429 practice for looking and then drawing. So now I'm a painter. 73 00:05:08,030 --> 00:05:11,312 But I also like watching the behaviour of animals still very 74 00:05:11,372 --> 00:05:14,995 much. And Bewick's swans are, of course, my favourite animal. 75 00:05:15,959 --> 00:05:18,781 AJAY TEGALA: And so the ones that you knew as individuals, it 76 00:05:18,801 --> 00:05:21,243 was obviously this precise pattern of black and yellow that 77 00:05:21,263 --> 00:05:23,905 you were drawing. And that's how you got to know them by their 78 00:05:23,925 --> 00:05:24,285 bills. 79 00:05:25,366 --> 00:05:29,488 DAFILA SCOTT: Yes, that's right. And also just the way the animal 80 00:05:29,528 --> 00:05:32,570 carries its head. So some of them, we used to have one called 81 00:05:33,191 --> 00:05:35,552 Pussycat, which had her head in the air all the time. She was 82 00:05:35,633 --> 00:05:38,995 always looking around with her head in the air. So they have 83 00:05:39,015 --> 00:05:42,377 their individual characteristics and you get to know them. And 84 00:05:42,417 --> 00:05:44,258 that's, it's very good fun. 85 00:05:44,439 --> 00:05:47,160 I mean if you're, you know, if you're really watching a flock 86 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,681 and you get to know them all it's it's just wonderful 87 00:05:49,861 --> 00:05:52,062 following them. It's very exciting. 88 00:05:52,062 --> 00:05:53,723 AJAY TEGALA: I guess it's quite similar to, I'm lucky i work 89 00:05:53,724 --> 00:05:56,904 with the grazing livestock here at Wicken and it's that sense of 90 00:05:57,004 --> 00:05:59,345 when you have that time to spend with these individuals you get 91 00:05:59,346 --> 00:06:01,686 to know their personalities and they are all unique. It's a 92 00:06:01,726 --> 00:06:04,407 lovely it's a lovely way to spend time isn't it watching 93 00:06:04,447 --> 00:06:05,948 animal behaviour. 94 00:06:05,948 --> 00:06:08,709 DAFILA SCOTT: It's so lovely I mean I get fond of the wild 95 00:06:08,769 --> 00:06:11,610 ducks that come to the bottom of my garden and I'll feed them a 96 00:06:11,630 --> 00:06:14,596 little bit but i couldn't tell if there was a different one 97 00:06:14,636 --> 00:06:17,198 coming. Whereas, you know, with the Bewick's, you can look at 98 00:06:17,219 --> 00:06:20,141 them and you can so quickly recognise individuals. It 99 00:06:20,281 --> 00:06:22,243 really, it's very special. 100 00:06:25,665 --> 00:06:28,668 AJAY TEGALA: After talking to Dafila, I'm even more determined 101 00:06:28,688 --> 00:06:32,771 to see them again. At Wicken Fen, I see or hear whooper swans 102 00:06:32,871 --> 00:06:37,055 most days throughout the winter, but never Bewick's. And I don't 103 00:06:37,115 --> 00:06:40,237 think I'll get quite so lucky with my kitchen window, so I 104 00:06:40,257 --> 00:06:44,692 head to WWT Welney. Where the Ouse Washes provide a winter 105 00:06:44,732 --> 00:06:46,994 retreat for thousands of swans. 106 00:06:50,857 --> 00:06:54,179 LIZZIE BRUCE: I think early morning in the winter is really 107 00:06:54,199 --> 00:06:57,261 special. Particularly when you get that nice misty Fenland 108 00:06:58,081 --> 00:07:01,344 morning and the skies are clear and you have the sun rising and 109 00:07:01,345 --> 00:07:03,685 the swans are waking up in the morning so they start getting 110 00:07:03,705 --> 00:07:06,547 really talkative to one another, flapping their wings. And you 111 00:07:06,567 --> 00:07:09,389 kind of sense their excitement that the day is starting and 112 00:07:09,390 --> 00:07:12,111 then they'll lift off the washes and then fly over your heads. 113 00:07:12,511 --> 00:07:16,032 In like big flocks of like bees calling and then go out to the 114 00:07:16,072 --> 00:07:18,193 fields and feed during the day and if you're lucky you'll pick 115 00:07:18,253 --> 00:07:19,093 out the Bewick's swans. 116 00:07:22,774 --> 00:07:25,535 AJAY TEGALA: This is Lizzie Bruce the site manager of 117 00:07:25,575 --> 00:07:30,076 Welney. We meet in the heated bird hide with panoramic windows 118 00:07:30,356 --> 00:07:33,757 that give views across the wetland. It's the perfect place 119 00:07:33,897 --> 00:07:35,357 for spotting winter visitors. 120 00:07:36,337 --> 00:07:39,978 Of course the stars this time of year are the swans and your work 121 00:07:40,118 --> 00:07:41,779 involves a lot of monitoring of the swans. 122 00:07:42,231 --> 00:07:44,693 LIZZIE BRUCE: Yes, so Welney and the Ouse Washes are 123 00:07:45,133 --> 00:07:48,196 internationally important for its wintering Bewick's swans and 124 00:07:48,216 --> 00:07:51,298 whooper swans. So here at WWT we've been monitoring the 125 00:07:51,299 --> 00:07:54,761 populations along with our partners for decades. 126 00:07:55,001 --> 00:07:58,905 So the washes are really important for a safe roosting 127 00:07:58,945 --> 00:08:02,007 place for the swans at night. And then in the morning they'll 128 00:08:02,008 --> 00:08:06,571 go off to feed. So we will get up at cracker sparrows and count 129 00:08:06,651 --> 00:08:09,973 all the swans coming off the washes and going out into the 130 00:08:09,993 --> 00:08:13,921 field. And then during the day, we then go driving around the 131 00:08:13,922 --> 00:08:19,145 fens across the farmland and in small teams we then count the 132 00:08:19,146 --> 00:08:19,686 birds again. 133 00:08:20,327 --> 00:08:23,930 So we'll count the total flock size, so how many whooper swans 134 00:08:24,230 --> 00:08:26,672 and how many Bewick's swans are in each flock. So we can then 135 00:08:27,133 --> 00:08:30,115 understand what is the population doing, but also 136 00:08:30,696 --> 00:08:33,879 identify where there are important feeding and roosting 137 00:08:33,899 --> 00:08:36,841 locations that we can then protect to ensure they can 138 00:08:36,982 --> 00:08:38,363 winter here undisturbed. 139 00:08:38,899 --> 00:08:40,380 AJAY TEGALA: I always used to get teased that all I did was 140 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:43,562 counting birds, like how hard can that be? But actually it can 141 00:08:43,582 --> 00:08:44,403 be quite challenging. 142 00:08:44,643 --> 00:08:46,184 LIZZIE BRUCE: Yeah, on this scale it can be really 143 00:08:46,224 --> 00:08:48,686 challenging and last week we were doing the swan count out in 144 00:08:48,687 --> 00:08:52,168 the arable fields and it was one of those really windy days where 145 00:08:52,268 --> 00:08:53,049 it's really gusty. 146 00:08:53,509 --> 00:08:57,171 So we're setting up a tripod to scan through the flocks that can 147 00:08:57,191 --> 00:08:59,993 be several hundred metres away and the scope is rocking from 148 00:09:00,053 --> 00:09:03,295 side to side. So you're seeing almost like double through the 149 00:09:03,315 --> 00:09:05,577 scope and then you've got the wind blowing and your eyes are 150 00:09:05,578 --> 00:09:09,800 watering. It can be yeah on those days quite a challenge but 151 00:09:09,881 --> 00:09:11,403 yeah it's still good. 152 00:09:11,403 --> 00:09:13,826 AJAY TEGALA: The swans we're talking about here aren't the 153 00:09:13,926 --> 00:09:17,351 sort you'll see in your local park. The whoopers and the 154 00:09:17,371 --> 00:09:20,875 Bewick's are distinct species and can be distinguished from 155 00:09:20,915 --> 00:09:25,176 each other by their size and behaviour. At first glance, they 156 00:09:25,216 --> 00:09:28,538 may look very similar, but Lizzie has a good way to tell 157 00:09:28,558 --> 00:09:31,938 them apart. For the whooper swans, the yellow extends 158 00:09:32,078 --> 00:09:33,419 further along their bill. 159 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:36,920 LIZZIE BRUCE: It's almost like a wedge of cheese. That's kind of 160 00:09:36,921 --> 00:09:39,520 the easiest way we describe it. And then the Bewick's swans, 161 00:09:39,601 --> 00:09:43,161 their bill is predominantly black with a very small sort of 162 00:09:43,241 --> 00:09:45,183 spot of yellow and it's more like a knob of butter. 163 00:09:45,362 --> 00:09:46,602 AJAY TEGALA: Brilliant. I love that analogy. 164 00:09:46,982 --> 00:09:50,544 Both whooper and Bewick's swans spend their winter here with us. 165 00:09:50,885 --> 00:09:52,606 But their journeys are very different. 166 00:09:53,025 --> 00:09:55,006 LIZZIE BRUCE: The whooper Swans here in Britain have all come 167 00:09:55,028 --> 00:09:57,848 from Iceland, so we get the entire Icelandic population 168 00:09:57,989 --> 00:10:00,451 wintering in Britain and Ireland. And the Bewick's swan, 169 00:10:01,050 --> 00:10:04,433 they've come from Russia, so the Tundra up in Russia, and they 170 00:10:04,472 --> 00:10:06,734 have a 3,500-kilometre migration. 171 00:10:07,215 --> 00:10:09,515 AJAY TEGALA: And, of course, they come here for a couple of 172 00:10:09,516 --> 00:10:12,278 reasons, the climate, the availability of food, like the 173 00:10:12,298 --> 00:10:14,558 sugar beet tops, and this important wetland that you 174 00:10:14,598 --> 00:10:18,340 manage, because I live nearby. I just love it when they arrive in 175 00:10:18,341 --> 00:10:20,100 the autumn and you think they've come all the way from Iceland 176 00:10:20,340 --> 00:10:22,381 and they're coming here to my home patch. It's really 177 00:10:22,421 --> 00:10:22,861 exciting. 178 00:10:22,941 --> 00:10:25,842 LIZZIE BRUCE: It's so magical. I know when we first hear the 179 00:10:25,862 --> 00:10:28,523 whooper swans, we all get really excited. It's really 180 00:10:28,563 --> 00:10:31,683 heartwarming as well to see some of those birds come back and 181 00:10:31,684 --> 00:10:34,424 know that they've had a successful migration back home 182 00:10:34,444 --> 00:10:37,645 to breed. And then they come back and even better if they've 183 00:10:37,665 --> 00:10:40,226 got cygnets with them. Yeah, it just makes you all feel warm and 184 00:10:40,546 --> 00:10:42,507 fuzzy inside. It's lovely. 185 00:10:44,111 --> 00:10:46,072 AJAY TEGALA: So you get quite an insight into their lives with 186 00:10:46,073 --> 00:10:48,654 the monitoring work as well. And I know that you've just been 187 00:10:48,734 --> 00:10:51,676 number crunching over the last few days from the latest count. 188 00:10:51,677 --> 00:10:52,737 Can you tell us a bit more about that? 189 00:10:53,097 --> 00:10:55,639 LIZZIE BRUCE: Yes, so it's a team effort. So while WWT lead 190 00:10:55,640 --> 00:11:00,842 on it locally here, we work with RSPB and National Trust and all 191 00:11:01,042 --> 00:11:04,125 our wetlands. So our numbers are, for whooper swans last 192 00:11:04,165 --> 00:11:08,207 week, we counted about 8,600 birds roosting on the Ouse 193 00:11:08,227 --> 00:11:11,409 Washes at night. And they were joined by about 50 Bewick's 194 00:11:11,449 --> 00:11:11,850 swans. 195 00:11:12,570 --> 00:11:15,212 And then when we went out, around the fields around the 196 00:11:15,212 --> 00:11:18,813 Ouse Washes and the eemwashes we then counted a total of 13,000 197 00:11:18,813 --> 00:11:21,956 whooper swans and they had about a thousand juveniles in those 198 00:11:21,995 --> 00:11:26,418 flocks. And then Bewick's swans we found 68 Bewick's swans and 199 00:11:26,497 --> 00:11:29,918 14 juveniles. So while whooper swans are going up we are sadly 200 00:11:30,019 --> 00:11:33,260 seeing the Bewick's swan population decline. So these 201 00:11:33,321 --> 00:11:36,802 counts we did last week are the lowest Bewick counts we've had 202 00:11:36,942 --> 00:11:41,083 on records and a research was just published in the last week 203 00:11:41,263 --> 00:11:43,704 that suggested that the Bewick's swan population has actually, 204 00:11:44,045 --> 00:11:48,447 European population, has actually declined by 56% since 205 00:11:48,487 --> 00:11:53,170 1995, which partly reflects why we're seeing such low numbers 206 00:11:53,231 --> 00:11:53,471 here. 207 00:11:53,890 --> 00:11:56,651 But what we're also seeing Bewick's swans do is something 208 00:11:56,712 --> 00:12:01,135 called short stopping. So this is when the Bewick's swans are 209 00:12:01,514 --> 00:12:04,976 not migrating as far as they used to. So historically, they 210 00:12:04,977 --> 00:12:07,798 would have moved as the cold weather sort of pushed them 211 00:12:08,638 --> 00:12:11,119 westwards but now we've got warmer winters the Bewick's 212 00:12:11,159 --> 00:12:14,803 swans are favouring Germany so they are seeing more and less 213 00:12:14,863 --> 00:12:15,083 here. 214 00:12:19,287 --> 00:12:22,289 AJAY TEGALA: Behind us in the hide, a huge map with yellow 215 00:12:22,369 --> 00:12:26,513 lines draws out a migration that spans the entire length of 216 00:12:26,553 --> 00:12:28,395 Europe from the Russian Tundra. 217 00:12:29,456 --> 00:12:32,018 LIZZIE BRUCE: So you can see on here the Bewick's swans and then 218 00:12:32,058 --> 00:12:36,222 they'll head west mainly by night following the coast and 219 00:12:36,242 --> 00:12:37,483 they can cover about 220 00:12:37,703 --> 00:12:41,607 2,000 miles before they get to us here at Welney and they can 221 00:12:41,667 --> 00:12:45,551 stop off at places like Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, 222 00:12:45,671 --> 00:12:49,154 Belgium. And it's not a quick migration you know it can take 223 00:12:49,194 --> 00:12:52,137 about six weeks from their breeding grounds to reach their 224 00:12:52,237 --> 00:12:55,860 final wintering grounds here at Welney or increasingly in 225 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:56,281 Germany. 226 00:12:57,302 --> 00:13:00,245 It's really fascinating to see where they've come from but also 227 00:13:00,345 --> 00:13:03,827 some of challenges that they face during their migration. So 228 00:13:03,867 --> 00:13:05,868 up in Russia, they're particularly faced by climate 229 00:13:05,869 --> 00:13:08,649 change and the warming of the Tundra, making it wetter and 230 00:13:08,689 --> 00:13:09,650 less favourable for them. 231 00:13:11,651 --> 00:13:14,292 As you go further west, there's sort of change in food 232 00:13:14,312 --> 00:13:17,413 availability. They also do face illegal hunting along their 233 00:13:17,433 --> 00:13:20,114 journey. So because they're the size of a goose, they can be 234 00:13:20,154 --> 00:13:23,837 mistaken for a goose, so they can be illegally shot. And then 235 00:13:23,916 --> 00:13:28,458 as they come more towards Europe and us, they then can encounter 236 00:13:28,558 --> 00:13:31,319 power lines. So yeah, there's quite a lot of challenges. 237 00:13:31,696 --> 00:13:34,077 Beyond it just being 2,000 miles. 238 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:42,442 AJAY TEGALA: Of course, you've been here a relatively short 239 00:13:42,462 --> 00:13:45,563 period of time, but you've seen extremes in water levels and 240 00:13:46,043 --> 00:13:47,245 weather and temperature, haven't you? 241 00:13:47,505 --> 00:13:49,206 LIZZIE BRUCE: Yeah, so, you know, we all know that we're 242 00:13:49,207 --> 00:13:53,067 kind of in this climate crisis. The climate is changing. And so, 243 00:13:53,367 --> 00:13:55,949 yeah, I've been at Wellney for about two years now. It started 244 00:13:55,951 --> 00:13:59,511 off with our wettest year, with prolonged winter flooding, well 245 00:13:59,552 --> 00:14:02,914 into the sort of breeding season and then starting again really 246 00:14:03,014 --> 00:14:03,935 early in September. 247 00:14:04,416 --> 00:14:07,580 And, you know, it's important to say that Ouse Washes is flood 248 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:10,404 storage. So it is doing what it's meant to do. It is 249 00:14:10,483 --> 00:14:14,388 protecting farmland and homes from flooding. However, what we 250 00:14:14,428 --> 00:14:18,673 are seeing is that it's becoming more extreme, more prolonged, 251 00:14:19,594 --> 00:14:21,896 which has a negative impact on the wildlife. 252 00:14:21,896 --> 00:14:25,779 And then this year we've had now had our driest year and looking 253 00:14:25,799 --> 00:14:28,121 at the long-range forecast it looks like we're going to go 254 00:14:28,181 --> 00:14:31,463 into next year on some of our sites with really low water 255 00:14:31,503 --> 00:14:35,706 levels which again has an impact on our wildlife. So yeah we are 256 00:14:35,726 --> 00:14:39,129 working with farmers with landowners of how can we create 257 00:14:39,229 --> 00:14:43,131 more wetlands and manage the water more sustainably have a 258 00:14:43,151 --> 00:14:45,753 more coordinated joined up approach so that it benefits 259 00:14:46,194 --> 00:14:47,755 everybody and everything. 260 00:14:48,303 --> 00:14:49,444 AJAY TEGALA: Yeah, that's something we're involved in at 261 00:14:49,464 --> 00:14:52,647 Wicken Fen as well. And the importance of kind of holding 262 00:14:52,688 --> 00:14:55,689 back that water to see us through the summer. And so 263 00:14:55,849 --> 00:14:58,131 creating reservoirs is something we're doing in partnership with 264 00:14:58,151 --> 00:14:59,773 some of the farmers as well. 265 00:15:00,073 --> 00:15:01,994 LIZZIE BRUCE: Around here, the farmers really welcome the 266 00:15:01,995 --> 00:15:05,277 swans. Some of the farmers say that if they're nibbling away on 267 00:15:05,278 --> 00:15:08,400 the winter wheat, it actually makes it better the following 268 00:15:08,420 --> 00:15:12,363 year. It kind of adds a bit more rigorous growth to the wheat. 269 00:15:12,483 --> 00:15:15,366 So as long as the swans aren't trampling them when it's really 270 00:15:15,446 --> 00:15:18,395 wet, yeah, the farmers are quite happy for swans out on their 271 00:15:18,415 --> 00:15:18,876 winter wheat. 272 00:15:19,356 --> 00:15:22,737 Locally what's really great is that we work really closely with 273 00:15:22,757 --> 00:15:26,979 National Grid and UK Power and trying to fit deflectors to the 274 00:15:27,059 --> 00:15:30,320 power lines. And this has been really successful, so they've 275 00:15:30,601 --> 00:15:33,342 kind of evolved over time but they're basically just a small 276 00:15:33,862 --> 00:15:37,383 plastic disc with reflectors on both sides that will just clip 277 00:15:37,423 --> 00:15:43,106 onto the cables and this immediately makes such a big 278 00:15:43,146 --> 00:15:46,127 difference to the swans they can immediately see them. 279 00:15:46,551 --> 00:15:49,113 And once they're on those power lines, the swans instantly kind 280 00:15:49,114 --> 00:15:50,835 of, we stop seeing those collisions. 281 00:15:51,035 --> 00:15:52,876 AJAY TEGALA: I think that just highlights that to look after 282 00:15:52,916 --> 00:15:55,979 species that migrate, it is about teamwork. It is about 283 00:15:56,019 --> 00:15:58,721 working together and, yeah, different industries getting 284 00:15:58,741 --> 00:16:00,323 involved to make a real difference. 285 00:16:00,324 --> 00:16:02,104 LIZZIE BRUCE: A lot of birds are losing their wetlands. If we can 286 00:16:02,124 --> 00:16:05,067 create more wetlands, more safe areas for them to roost and 287 00:16:05,087 --> 00:16:07,989 feed. And then, yes, some of the other challenges such as power 288 00:16:08,009 --> 00:16:12,333 lines. And, yeah, we can reverse some of the negativity. And as 289 00:16:12,334 --> 00:16:14,274 you can see with whooper swans, their population is now 290 00:16:14,334 --> 00:16:14,835 thriving. 291 00:16:15,515 --> 00:16:18,998 AJAY TEGALA: The threats to the washes feel far away as we sit 292 00:16:19,158 --> 00:16:23,080 drenched in sunlight looking at the expanse of blue, trimmed 293 00:16:23,139 --> 00:16:26,662 with green edges. There are hundreds of chestnut-headed 294 00:16:26,741 --> 00:16:31,725 pochard, a dozen pintails, ducks with needle-like tails, a 295 00:16:31,784 --> 00:16:35,747 tumbling flock of lapwings and of course a familiar sight. 296 00:16:36,387 --> 00:16:39,269 LIZZIE BRUCE: So we also have a few swans out here so we've got 297 00:16:39,288 --> 00:16:42,671 mute swans and whooper swans. They're just drifting up and 298 00:16:42,691 --> 00:16:45,152 down. At this time of day a lot of the swans have all gone off 299 00:16:45,631 --> 00:16:48,674 into the fields to feed. But then we do a commentated swan 300 00:16:48,755 --> 00:16:52,016 feed in the afternoons during the winter, at about half three, 301 00:16:52,237 --> 00:16:53,077 and this is when we start. 302 00:16:53,078 --> 00:16:57,082 We give the swans and the ducks a small amount of grain. It's a 303 00:16:57,101 --> 00:17:00,024 little treat for them, and you'll start to see more swans 304 00:17:00,083 --> 00:17:03,606 coming in. It's really magical just seeing them drift around, 305 00:17:03,646 --> 00:17:05,629 and they'll come in closer to the hide, and it's really 306 00:17:05,649 --> 00:17:06,008 special. 307 00:17:07,689 --> 00:17:11,092 AJAY TEGALA: With sunset and the swan feed a few hours off, I'm 308 00:17:11,112 --> 00:17:15,531 determined to use this time to search for Bewick's swans. And I 309 00:17:15,532 --> 00:17:18,494 know that they're out there, somewhere in the fields that 310 00:17:18,534 --> 00:17:23,018 stretch out in front of us. But our chances aren't good, as 311 00:17:23,019 --> 00:17:26,261 there are only a very small number dotted across the Fens. 312 00:17:29,764 --> 00:17:32,946 So we're just about a mile away from Welney, we've headed south, 313 00:17:33,367 --> 00:17:37,410 and there's a field with about 200 swans. And I've just scanned 314 00:17:37,411 --> 00:17:39,872 through with my telescope and they are all whooper swans. 315 00:17:40,293 --> 00:17:42,435 They've all got that wedge of cheese rather than the knob of 316 00:17:42,455 --> 00:17:45,416 butter. But there's definitely some juveniles, you can pick out 317 00:17:45,417 --> 00:17:46,216 the greyer ones. 318 00:17:47,276 --> 00:17:49,597 I guess it must be winter wheat, there's just the kind of green 319 00:17:49,717 --> 00:17:53,198 shoots coming through, you've got the really black peaty soil 320 00:17:53,678 --> 00:17:56,339 and then the lush green shoots coming through and they're just 321 00:17:56,359 --> 00:17:59,600 kind of, well most of them are sat, some of them are waddling 322 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:04,441 around, but in the winter sun the green looks so bright and 323 00:18:04,442 --> 00:18:07,842 then also the whiteness of the swans glowing in the sun. 324 00:18:09,443 --> 00:18:12,160 Yeah it is a really distinctive call. I mean they sound just 325 00:18:12,180 --> 00:18:15,122 like geese, they're kind of honking a little bit. So yeah, 326 00:18:15,142 --> 00:18:17,524 very different to mute swans which don't say a lot and they 327 00:18:17,524 --> 00:18:19,645 have that kind of high-pitched call when you do hear them. 328 00:18:20,206 --> 00:18:24,048 Here it's this kind of deep grunty kind of hooping call that 329 00:18:24,168 --> 00:18:27,710 gives them the name. But yeah, it is very goose-like. It's 330 00:18:27,711 --> 00:18:31,153 funny because they look so elegant and beautiful and yet 331 00:18:31,154 --> 00:18:34,515 they just sound a little bit less like they look I suppose. 332 00:18:35,417 --> 00:18:37,577 But I love that sound, I absolutely adore it. 333 00:18:45,535 --> 00:18:48,637 So we've been driving around quite a few miles on bumpy roads 334 00:18:49,257 --> 00:18:51,778 and we were sort of beginning to give up hope and we've just 335 00:18:52,078 --> 00:18:54,959 stumbled upon another field with another couple of hundred swans 336 00:18:55,019 --> 00:18:58,762 in. We're on the kind of a remote farm track, very 337 00:18:58,841 --> 00:19:03,583 windswept, on the side of a minor road and I'm just going to 338 00:19:03,603 --> 00:19:06,445 scan across and see if we can pick out, fingers crossed, some 339 00:19:06,485 --> 00:19:07,044 Bewick's. 340 00:19:07,824 --> 00:19:10,486 I really, really want to see them. I really want to see them. 341 00:19:11,826 --> 00:19:15,997 This happens a few more times. We spot a flock of white in the 342 00:19:16,017 --> 00:19:16,559 distance. 343 00:19:17,001 --> 00:19:20,294 Pick our way down increasingly narrow roads, then get out the 344 00:19:20,314 --> 00:19:20,515 scope. 345 00:19:22,386 --> 00:19:26,049 But each time, all that's in front of me are wedges of cheese 346 00:19:26,329 --> 00:19:26,988 and hooping. 347 00:19:29,792 --> 00:19:32,534 We've just spent a couple of hours literally driving all over 348 00:19:32,534 --> 00:19:36,457 the fens, looking for Bewick's swans. We didn't see any, but 349 00:19:36,458 --> 00:19:40,240 there's this gorgeous sunset. Everything's turning orange and 350 00:19:40,242 --> 00:19:43,463 we're heading back to Welney for hopefully the highlight of the 351 00:19:43,503 --> 00:19:43,704 day. 352 00:19:51,264 --> 00:19:55,885 We return to Welney just in time for the dusk swan feed. Despite 353 00:19:55,945 --> 00:19:59,186 hundreds of criss-crossing pochard ducks, there is just a 354 00:19:59,245 --> 00:20:00,347 single whooper swan. 355 00:20:01,726 --> 00:20:05,487 It floats gracefully, bending its neck to scoop up its nightly 356 00:20:05,568 --> 00:20:10,448 treat. But afterwards, we take a stroll to the final hide. A 357 00:20:10,488 --> 00:20:14,970 great white V shoots over our head, softly hooping through the 358 00:20:14,991 --> 00:20:15,710 fading light. 359 00:20:16,390 --> 00:20:18,732 There's not really much colour, just kind of greyness, but 360 00:20:18,832 --> 00:20:21,804 silver to the water, on which there's lots of silhouetted 361 00:20:21,885 --> 00:20:25,308 ducks. I can hear lots of widgeon whistling. Every now and 362 00:20:25,309 --> 00:20:28,649 then a few whooper swans are dropping in and we're expecting 363 00:20:28,669 --> 00:20:31,131 over the next few minutes more and more to come in to roost 364 00:20:31,172 --> 00:20:32,673 here on this water for the night. 365 00:20:35,375 --> 00:20:39,557 Leaving Welney I was sad not to see any Bewick's swans but it's 366 00:20:39,618 --> 00:20:42,700 hardly surprising with so many challenges facing them. 367 00:20:45,081 --> 00:20:48,264 I was starting to give up hope of seeing any Bewick's swans 368 00:20:48,303 --> 00:20:53,149 this year. But on a frozen morning, I take one last trip to 369 00:20:53,208 --> 00:20:53,569 Welney. 370 00:20:56,790 --> 00:21:02,012 I'm in the Lyle Hide on Welney, and it's a few weeks after I 371 00:21:02,032 --> 00:21:05,213 spent a whole day looking for Bewick's swans. And since then, 372 00:21:05,233 --> 00:21:08,273 there's been this cold snap. There's a lot of frozen water on 373 00:21:08,274 --> 00:21:11,093 the washes here. There's a few little areas that aren't frozen, 374 00:21:11,494 --> 00:21:14,755 and that's where the swans are gravitating to. And as if by 375 00:21:14,834 --> 00:21:17,255 magic, there's a distant group of about ten. 376 00:21:17,691 --> 00:21:20,453 And I've just through a telescope been watching one and 377 00:21:20,734 --> 00:21:23,809 literally it's had its head tucked into its wing for ages, 378 00:21:23,809 --> 00:21:28,578 tantalising, but it looked a bit smaller. And eventually it 379 00:21:28,619 --> 00:21:32,201 showed its head and I could see that just like it was described 380 00:21:32,501 --> 00:21:36,544 the bill is mostly black with like a little knob of butter and 381 00:21:36,564 --> 00:21:40,387 there it is, a Bewick's swan at last. After so much searching 382 00:21:40,447 --> 00:21:44,769 it's so exciting to finally see a Bewick's swan. Wahey, even 383 00:21:44,789 --> 00:21:48,553 though it's quite a long way away through a scope not visible 384 00:21:48,572 --> 00:21:50,034 with the naked eye at all, hardly. 385 00:21:50,254 --> 00:21:53,916 It's just really exciting to finally, finally see one and 386 00:21:53,995 --> 00:21:56,058 worth heading out in the cold to witness. 387 00:21:58,278 --> 00:22:21,309 There it is, there it is. Yes. Yes. 388 00:22:21,309 --> 00:22:25,390 Thanks for listening to this episode of Wild Tales. To find 389 00:22:25,430 --> 00:22:28,591 out more about Welney and the swan counts, you can go to our 390 00:22:28,651 --> 00:22:33,034 show notes and join us on Instagram @wildtalesnt. 391 00:22:34,755 --> 00:22:35,614 See you next time.