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| Species of the Month - November 2013 Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus Whooper Swans are winter visitors from Iceland. They are liable to be found on any of our lochs and can also sometimes be seen offshore, or in flight from one water-body to another, making their deep whooping call as they go. Occasionally they are seen in marshy ground beside a loch, grazing on the vegetation.
Each year a few Whooper Swans manage to breed in the far north and west of Scotland, but any seen in our area during the summer months are more likely to be individuals unable to migrate due to injury. If you see a pair in summer, of course, there is much more cause for excitement.
The right-hand picture above shows a juvenile. These are grey when they fly south with their parents. They become paler during their first winter but do not attain adult bill colour until after they return in the spring.
Whooper Swan being driven off by Mute Swans. The difference in bill shape and colour is obvious. It is much harder to tell Whooper Swans from Bewick's Swans, but the latter are extremely rare in our area, with none being sighted in most years. Bewick's Swans normally have the yellow reaching less than halfway along the bill.
Please send in your Whooper Swan sightings using the form below,
or email sightings@lnhg.org.uk
with the details if you prefer. If you are
not sure of the identity of your swan, please send a photo to sightings@lnhg.org.uk,
or put one on the
LORN forum and let me know it is there. By filling in this form you agree that the information contained in this form may be collated and disseminated manually or electronically for environmental decision-making, education, research and other public benefit uses in accordance with the LNHG data access policy. Your email address will not form part of the record and will not be passed on to anyone.
Carl Farmer
29 Oct: One seen on Loch Balnagowan, Lismore, by
Rob Lightfoot during our LNHG field trip.
11 Nov: Rob saw and heard 10 flying over his house
in Glen Euchar in a south-westerly direction, calling to each other as
they flew.
Oct 2013 - Ballerina Waxcap
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