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First sighting of the season in the Wieringermeer |
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Every year Bewick's Swan's make the enormous journey from their breeding grounds (Russian coast-tundra) to
their wintering grounds in north-west Europe. It's a journey of 3500 - 4500 kilometers! The time of departure
depends on the weather conditions and the food availability on their breeding grounds. The direction of the
wind also plays an important role. Normally the Bewick's Swan's arrive in the Netherlands by mid-October.
This season the first Bewick's Swan's in the Netherlands were reported on the 4th of October in Noord-Friesland. Three days later the first Bewick's Swan's in Noord Holland were reported flying over the Wieringerwerf. The first Bewick's Swan's on the ground in Noord Holland were seen on October 10th, 2002 at "de Schervenweg" (Wieringermeer)! Traditionally, the area between the Oosterterpweg and the Schervenweg, south of the line of Wieringerwerf-Kreileroord, is the primary arrival place for Bewick's Swans in the Fall, often on the same land they previously used. The farmers who own the land always keep an eye out for the arrival of their "white cows". For the next season: report the earliest Bewick's Swan's sighting!  Bewick's Swan's in the Wieringermeer (09-11-02). 
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