All hides except Gill's Lookout are accessible to everyone today, including with mobility scooters. Water levels are continuing to drop. Lady Fen trails are now closed until after breeding season, but great views from cafe veranda. All roads including A1101 Welney Wash Road are open.

Swan count

1 min read • 8 December 2015

Bewick's swans family by David Featherbe

Dawn swan count:

WWT Welney
Whooper swans - 2684
Bewick's swans - 933

Ouse Washes total
Whooper swans - 5284
Bewick's swans - 1009

Staff and volunteers came in before dawn to count all the swans on the Ouse Washes before they started flying out to the fields. Early December has become the time of year when an international effort is made to count the whole Bewick's swan population and get a tally of cygnets to see how successful the breeding season over the summer has been. The reserve team and swan volunteers are out in the fields around the Ouse Washes today counting flocks of swans and brood sizes.

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Swan count

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