As part of WWT's ongoing conservation work with whooper swans, we are launching an exciting new project with COWRIE (Collaborative Offshore Wind Research into the Environment) to find out more about the swans' migration routes between their breeding grounds in Iceland and wintering sites in Britain and Ireland.
The project aims to determine the migration routes that the swans take, the heights and speeds at which they fly, and the effects of weather conditions on their flight patterns.
This data will be analysed in relation to existing offshore wind farms positioned in the Greater Wash and East Irish Sea areas, as well as potential wind farm sites. This will therefore help to inform decisions on the siting of future wind farms locations.
To carry out this important research, we have fitted satellite tracking devices to whooper swans caught in different parts of the country, to track them from Britain to Iceland over the migratory period. These include:
The whooper swans wintering in western England (WWT Martin Mere) and southeast England (WWT Welney) have been selected because these are most likely to migrate through the east Irish Sea and Greater Wash areas (where key wind farms will be situated).
This is only half the journey though. We will be tagging a further 10 whooper swans at their breeding grounds in Iceland in August 2009 so as to monitor their trip back to Britain and Ireland. This will give us a complete picture of their migratory routes, and help us to determine how best to keep these clear so as to safeguard their future.
You can follow their progress using our satellite tracking map below. Check the latest news on the 'whooper swan diary' or sign up to an RSS news feed to receive the latest news.
