Whooper swans ignore no fly advice to reach Iceland through the volcanic dust

April 2010. Whooper swan Y6K, which is being tracked using satellite technology by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), appeared to be having difficulty on its return migration to Iceland. It was recorded on 16th April heading towards the cloud of ash from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

Concern for geese
Researchers noticed the bird's position on the online tracking map www.wwt.org.uk/whooper. Y6K approached Iceland from the south east, which is one of the main landfall areas for swans arriving in the country, but this was very much in line with the fallout from the volcano.

However, although the planes have ceased flying across northern Europe, swan Y6K safely negotiated the outfall from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano and made it to Iceland! The south-easterly winds pushing the ash cloud towards Britain meant that Y6K was effectively flying into head winds, which may well explain why it took him 4.5 days to cross from the Outer Hebrides to Iceland. But he finally came in over east Iceland at mid-day on 17th April and spent the next 24 h resting in fields near Höfn. It is difficult to determine the extent to which he changed direction to avoid coming in near the volcano; he should certainly have been able to see the plume whilst still out to sea. But in any event his arrival tracks were well to the east of the volcano!

Given that this is the main goose migration period, there is also concern for the welfare of Greylag Geese, Pink-footed Geese, Light-Bellied Brent Geese, Greenland White-fronted Geese and Greenland Barnacle Geese migrating to or through Iceland at this time.

Waterfowl
On Iceland itself, the volcanic eruption is causing concern for the returning waterfowl. A report from WWT's colleague Dr Olafur Einarsson in Reykjavik confirms that there is dense ash and total darkness to the southeast of the volcano, near the area dubbed "Whooper Airport" because it is where most of the birds land after their migration.

Bird deaths
Dr Einarsson reports that bird deaths have occurred during previous eruptions of other volcanoes in Iceland, when the feeding areas were covered with ash, causing major problems for farmers and birds. Fortunately at the moment the main area affected, between Vik (in the west) and Kirkjubaejarklaustur (in the east), is primarily an area of sand and gravel, leaving internationally important whooper swan staging or breeding sites still suitable for swans.

Whooper swan tracking
Y6K is being tracked as part of WWT's ongoing conservation work with whooper swans. The project aims to determine the migration routes that the swans take, the heights and speeds at which they fly, and the effects of weather conditions on their flight patterns, and is being carried out in collaboration with COWRIE (Collaborative Offshore Wind Research into the Environment) and DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change).