Wintering birds The Ouse Washes hosts Bewick's and whooper swans in winter, which feed on nearby farmland during the day, returning to the washes in the evening, where visitors can watch them being fed under floodlight near the visitor centre. More than 12,500 whooper swans wintered in 2021, about 5% of the world population. The number of Bewick's swans reaching the UK has fallen dramatically in the current century, as milder winters encourage them to remain in continental Europe, but several hundred still visit the washes.
Wintering birds The Ouse Washes hosts Bewick's and whooper swans in winter, which feed on nearby farmland during the day, returning to the washes in the evening, where visitors can watch them being fed under floodlight near the visitor centre More than 12,500 whooper swans wintered in 2021 about 5% of the world population. The number of Bewick's swans reaching the UK has fallen dramatically in the current century, as milder winters encourage them to remain in continental Europe, but several hundred still visit the washes.