Rare swan makes twitchers cock-a-Whoop (Worcester news UK)

[Donna]

A RARE swan from the Arctic has caused a bit of a flap on the river Severn by appearing alongside much more common cousins.

A beautiful whooper swan has appeared at South Quay in Worcester alongside mute swans.

The whooper swan is a large white bird with a long, thin neck and black legs. Its black bill has a large triangular patch of yellow on it.

The bird is mainly a winter visitor to the UK from Iceland, although a couple of pairs nest in the north.

Its winter population and small breeding numbers make it an amber priority on the RSPB’s bird guide – red is the highest conservation priority, with species needing urgent action. Amber is the next most critical group.

It is usually only seen in Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and parts of East Anglia between October and March.

There are only 5,700 whooper swans in Britain.



John Phillpott, Worcester News columnist and birdwatcher, said: “I have never seen a whooper swan on the Severn before and I have been bird watching in this area for years.�

Kirsi Peck, an RSPB wildlife adviser, said it was possible the bird had come from further south, perhaps from the Slimbridge Wetland Centre by the Severn Estuary.

She said: “To find one way up in Worcester means it has gone a long way up the Severn valley.�

She said it was not impossible for a whooper swan to breed with a mute swan, but it would be rare.

“I have never heard of it happening but you can never say never,� she said.