In north east Norfolk at the moment there seems to have been an influx of Bewick Swans. On tours this week we have come across several hundred Bewick’s in small dispersed flocks far outnumbering the Whooper Swans with which they are associating. Normally it is The Whoopers that make up the larger proportion.
One small heard we encountered at the roadside were arguing among themselves … to the point of drawing blood. I’m not so sure why there was so much fury towards one another but they seemed to sort it out albeit with the loss of a few feathers.
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Carl, Bewick’s are much the commoner swan species in NE Norfolk – as opposed to Whoopers – and have been all through the modern era at least. In some years Whoopers can be quite scarce here.
Hi Tim – your comment got me scurrying to check my Norfolk Bird & Mammal Reports and of course you are correct. It’s odd that on checking my notes of the tours I’ve done in the last five years exactly the opposite is apparent – perhaps location favouritism has taken a hand here.
“perhaps location favouritism has taken a hand here.”
Yes, I guess so. We check on the numbers regularly and the Bird Report is a good representation of the situation. Very unsure about the rather high totals of swans reported out here on the pager today, but that’s what happens once things are on the pager. And then they end up in the Bird Report.
You could always correct that with the county recorders if you know it to be incorrect Tim. I know Dave and Jackie would welcome any corrective data.