Bewick’s swans are modifying their behavior in a warming globe, according to scientists, with fewer returning to the UK and those that do coming late.

A bonded pair of swans named Maisie and Maifield landed in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, on Thursday.

They are the most recent arrivals since 1965, when naturalists began tracking the returning flocks.

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And their numbers have decreased from an annual flock of 700 to little over 100.

The beautiful waterbirds migrate from their frigid Arctic nesting sites to milder climes every year. They arrive in late autumn and return north in the spring.

Maisie, the first arrival in 2023 IMAGE SOURCE,WWT
Maisie, seen here with her boyfriend, Maifield, and their two cygnets, arrived on Thursday.
According to Kane Brides, senior research officer at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve, the “saddest fact” is that the swans may never return to Britain.

“This is happening right in front of our eyes,” he added. “Climate change is playing its part here.”

Bewick’s swans are the smallest of the UK’s wild swans, with more black on their yellow bills than the whooper, Britain’s other long-distance migrant.

These distinctive markings distinguish individual Bewicks.