Tundra swans migrate through Evros Delta in record numbers

A record number of Tundra swans (specifically of the Bewick’s Swan subspecies) have been spotted at the Evros Delta in northern Greece over the past few days, according to conservationists in the area.

“We have counted 2,610 Tundra swans, significantly more than the 2,250 we counted in 2010, which was the highest number ever recorded in Greece,” Panagiotis Ioannidis, environmental chief of the agency responsible for managing the protected wetland, told the state-run Athens-Macedonia News Agency on Tuesday.

The conservationist suggested that clement weather in Greece coupled with below-average temperatures in other parts of Europe attracted the elegant snowy-white migratory birds to Evros en route to the northern hemisphere ahead of the spring, when they will begin nesting.

“We have observed a rise in the number of swans but we cannot with any certainty explain the phenomenon. We guess that weather conditions and colder winters in northern areas have forced the birds to opt for more southern parts and this may be why they have chosen the Evros Delta as their number one wintering destination,” Ioannidis added.