Swan Lake

24th October 2024

I was in the area so thought I would pop in to Lakenheath Fen to see what was around the pond and feeders by the visitor centre. When I was in the car park I was told by another birder that there had been 671 Whooper Swans on The Wash overnight and, although most had now flown out to feed on the surrounding fields, there were still a few left. So after signing in at the visitoe centre I went straight to The Wash.

I walked gingerly up the bank and gently peered over the top and there was.............Swan Lake. The whole lake was white from one end to the other. This photo is just a fraction of the birds present and a quick scan produced an estimate of between 250 and 300 birds. This is probably as many as I have ever seen at a time in front of the Main Hide at Welney.

Also lovely light today which lit up the water and showed off the swans in all their finery.

And of course there are prima donnas in all walks of life and Whooper Swans are no exception, and this individual clearly didn't want to miss out on the photo-shoot.

Well, that was a surprise!!!!