WI-IUCN SSC Specialist Group

2016-2017 Report

Eileen Rees

Chair Mission statement community events. There were >700 articles Eileen Rees The Swan Specialist Group (SSG) is an interna- published in the press, c.1,000 reports on TV/ra- tional network of swan specialists who under- dio, and the project was honored as “Campaign Red List Authority Coordinator take monitoring, research, conservation and of the Year” at the 2017 ENDS Environmental Impact Awards. (KSR #37) Eileen Rees management of swan populations. Its mission is to facilitate effective communication between L Research activities Location/Affiliation members and others with an interest in swan i. Results of the censuses of migratory Wildfowl & Trust, Slimbridge, management and conservation world-wide, in were collated and distributed. Gloucester GL2 7BT, UK order to improve national and international links (Cygnus buccinator) survey reports and data for cooperative research, to identify gaps in are available at: https://www.fws.gov/birds/ Number of members knowledge and to provide a forum for address- surveys-and-data/reports-and-publications. ing swan conservation issues. php. Paper on the Icelandic Whooper Swan 370 (Cynus cygnus) population can be found at https://wildfowl.wwt.org.uk/index.php/ Social networks Main activities by Key Priority Area (2016 & 2017) wildfowl/article/view/2645/1761. E-mail forum: ii. Demographic reasons for decline in the NW [email protected] Communications European Bewick’s Swan population identified. Website: L Communication Paper on variation in Bewick’s Swan breeding http://www.swansg.org/ i. Issues 12 and 13 of Swan News newsletter. success published: Wood et al. 2016, in Journal (KSR #28) of Avian Biology 47: 597–609. Paper on Bewick’s ii. Online SSG-forum distribution link was Swan survival rates accepted for publication: maintained. (KSR #28) Wood et al., in Ibis: doi: 10.1111/ibi.12521. Paper iii. Swan SG logo agreed by members. on the migration routes of Bewick’s Swans fitted iv. The SSG website was developed and can be with GPS-GSM collars on the Yamal Peninsula previewed at http://www.swansg.org/. It will be published: Vangeluwe et al. 2017, in Zoological officially launched in February-March 2018. Journal 96 (10): 1230-1242 (in Russian). Paper (KSR #28) comparing aggression levels in swans with those in other water published: Wood et al. 2017, Conservation action in Behaviour 126: 209-216. (KSR #32) L Conservation activities iii. Sub-lethal threat of lead poisoning to swan i. Conservation project “Flight of the Swans” species assessed. Paper on the effects of in which Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust’s Sacha ingested lead on swans’ body condition was Dench flew by paramotor from the Bewick’s published: Newth et al. 2016, in Environmental Swans’ (Cygnus çolumbianus) breeding grounds Pollution 209: 60-67. (KSR #32) in the Russian arctic to their long-established iv. Tracking swan migration in relation to wind wintering site at Slimbridge, SW England, provid- farm development completed. Movements of ed a focus for a range of initiatives across the twenty two swans caught in southern England flyway to address the decline the NW European in winters 2013/14–2014/15 were tracked in Bewick’s Swan population. Events organized by relation to wind farm development along the partners in ranges states included seven con- migration route, with particular reference to servation workshops, 51 school visits and 15 offshore wind farm sites proposed for the North Whooper Swan (Cynus cygnus) in Spring Photo: Leif Nilson

Sea between Britain and continental . Targets for the quadrennium 2017-2020 Data recorded up to spring 2016 were analyzed Communications and published in a report to the Department of Communication: Production of newsletters Energy and Climate Change. (KSR #32) (1 issue per year) and operative website. v. Range expansion of Trumpeter Swan as- Scientific meetings: 6th International Swan sessed. Paper published on range expansion Symposium. and migration for Trumpeter Swans reintro- duced in Ontario: Handrigan et al. 2016, in Wild- Policy advice: Provide information and technical fowl 66: 60–74. (KSR #32) advice globally. Conservation action Acknowledgements Conservation activities: African-Eurasian Bewick’s Swans (Cygnus columbianus), Least Concern We would like to thank those who have gen- Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) Photo: James Lees erously donated to work being taken forward Bewick’s Swan Action Plan – Workshops for within the Bewick’s Swan Action Plan, includ- action plan implementation and training. ing the Peter Scott Trust for Education and Re- Research activities: survival and distribution search in Conservation, Peter Smith Charitable population trends for Bewick’s Swan and Trust for Nature, Olive Herbert Charitable Trust, censuses of migratory swan populations in the Summary of activities (2016-2017) D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, N. Smith Chari- Northern Hemisphere. table Settlement, Robert Kiln Charitable Trust, Increasing diversity of SSC Key Priority Area ratio: 2/7 estate of the late Professor Geoffrey Matthews Membership: development of the Swan SG Key Priority Areas addressed: OBE, the NWO grant 866.15.206 and all those membership in the Southern Hemisphere. • Communications (4 activities) who supported WWT’s ‘Hope for Swans’ appeal. • Conservation action (6 activities) Ringing in the Netherlands (from 2005 onwards) Projected impact for the quadrennium Main KSRs addressed: 28, 32, 37 was financed by the Royal Netherlands Acad- 2017-2020 KSR: Key Species Result emy of Arts and Sciences, the Netherlands Or- By the end of 2020, we will have undertaken a ganization for Scientific Research (NWO; grant further census of the NW European Bewick’s 851.40.073) and the Schure-Beijerinck-Popping Swan population to determine whether we have Fund. The tracking of Bewick’s Swan migration achieved the initial target of the AEWA Bewick’s in relation to onshore and offshore wind farm Swan Action Plan, of halting the ongoing decline in sites was funded by the Department of Energy the NW European population and, if necessary, and Climate Change (now Department for Busi- begin recovery of the population to its 2000 level. ness, Energy and Industrial Strategy) as part of By 2020, we also envisage having a better its offshore energy Strategic Environmental As- understanding of the environmental factors sessment programme. Swan SG members are contributing to the decline, and to have started also immensely grateful to the colleagues, vol- addressing these where necessary. For the other unteers and host institutes who have supported swan species, which are currently classed as swan research and conservation programmes Least Concern by IUCN, we will maintain our in different parts of the world, not only in 2016- monitoring of population trends, or collect such 2017 but over many years. information where the monitoring is being undertaken by other organizations, to identify any conservation issues that may arise for the swans.