In the first winter period there were four sightings. The first of which was at Chelker Reservoir on 21st March when 17 were observed. Two days later 24 flew from Lower Barden Reservoir heading Northeast. Cold Edge Dams hosted 36 on 29th March. On 7th April 25 were present at Otley Gravel Pits.

The second winter period didn’t produce the high numbers but did provide several sightings. The first was very early in the season on 21st September when one flew east in the accompaniment of 49 Pink-footed Geese during a vis-mig watch. A month later on 22nd October an immature was found on Fewston Reservoir and stayed until December. The adult at March Ghyll Reservoir on 26th October was joined by another three on 2nd November. The Fewston immature was probably the Whooper Swan seen on Swinsty Reservoir on 13th November. two were seen at Farnhill Ings on 20th November. An adult stayed most of the month of November at Knotford Nook and was possibly the individual chased away by Mute Swans from Otley Gravel Pits on 4th December. The last two sightings were of singles heading west in December. The first on 9th was over Leeshaw Reservoir with the final sighting of the year at Silsden on 13th.

A first-year bird recorded in 2003 at Fewston and Swinsty Reservoirs stayed at Fewston throughout the summer. It was first recorded on 10th January, and the last definitive record, before the picture was confused by new arrivals, was 25th September. By late summer it had moulted to the all-white plumage of adulthood.

In the first winter period there were six birds on Ogden Water on 3rd January. March is a regular passage month, and on the 27th a flock of 28 was tracked across the Aire Valley from Trough Lane, Oxenhope, over St.Ives and then up the valley from Stockbridge. On the same day, another 24 were found at Warley Moor Reservoir, with two Bewick’s Swans. Also on that date, 15 were on Thornton Moor Reservoir for their second day, and this location had flocks of 42 and 40 on the 28th. The last day of the month produced nine birds on Lower Barden Reservoir.

The second winter period produced fewer birds than the first, but there were more sightings. The first four of these involved family parties. Two adults with two immatures were seen in October over Oxenhope on 10th, Doe Park Reservoir on 16th and on Silsden floods on 24th. A pair with four immatures was at Lindley Wood Reservoir on 4th November, and three days later, three flew east past Stockbridge. On 14th November, two adults flew down the Wharfe Valley, only for one to return and the other to be found on Chelker Reservoir later the same day. A single was found on Tong Park Reservoir on 15th November and stayed into December. Twelve flew south-east past Thornton Moor on 28th November, and the final sighting of the year was of three at Thruscross Reservoir on 26th December.

This was the quietest year since 2001, with only 12 records, almost all of which comprised birds on spring migration.

Double-figure counts came from Lindley Wood Reservoir, where 16 were present on 4th March, Swinsty Reservoir, which had 32 birds on 21st March, and Barden Scale, where 17 birds were seen flying north on 5th April. Elsewhere during this regular passage period there were three birds at Otley Wetland on 16th March and one on the 22nd, three at Mixenden Reservoir on 19th, two at Silsden Reservoir on 2nd April, and also two at Thornton Moor Reservoir a week later.

The only winter sightings were of two birds at Otley Wetland on 2nd January, two over Northowram on 10th November, four past Luddenden Dean on 14th, and one at Graincliffe Reservoir on 6th December.

With only eight records, 2006 was even quieter than the previous year, which had just twelve, and there were only two double-figure counts.

In contrast to 2005, there were few spring records, and all were in March, a typical month for returning birds. Ten birds were at Silsden Reservoir on the 9th, followed by 28, comfortably the year’s biggest count, at Ogden Reservoir on the 20th, and two on Lindley Wood Reservoir three days later.

The first arrivals were seen on 24th October, with two birds on Silsden Reservoir, and the same number at Warley Moor Reservoir. In November, four flew west at Ponden on the 10th, and two were on Fewston Reservoir on the 22nd. The final record was of four birds flying past Soil Hill on 17th December.

A distinctly better year than the last two, particularly in the early months.

Five birds were present at Warley Moor Reservoir on 5th January, but the biggest numbers came in March, a regular month for relocating birds, starting with fifteen at John o’ Gaunt’s Reservoir on the 13th. A large movement of birds then clearly took place on the 26th, when there were two on Fewston Reservoir, thirteen on Lindley Wood Reservoir, and an impressive 74 birds at Lower Barden Reservoir, all of which departed in the early evening. This represents the largest individual flock seen in the recording area (AGG). On the following day, fifteen were found at Ogden Reservoir.

In recent years, numbers in autumn have been lower, and this was the case in 2007. October produced five birds at Otley Wetland on the 9th, followed by another on the 12th, and two on the 13th. Seven birds were seen at Thornton Moor Reservoir on the 19th, and two dropped in briefly at Leeshaw Reservoir the following day. The year was completed by two more birds at Thornton Moor on 3rd November, and nine at Otley Wetland six days later.

A yellow-billed swan seen near Skipton on 24th March couldn’t be specifically identified.

Predictably, most of the reports came from the main migration months of March and October, but it was a generally quiet year, with 10 birds at Lindley Wood Reservoir on 20th March and 17 past Caldene Fields on 21st November the only double-figure counts. Also in March, three birds were seen at Chelker and Swinsty Reservoirs, one was at Otley Wetland, seven were on Warley Moor Reservoir and six over Wilsden.

In October, parties of four and eight were seen over Oxenhope, three were at Thornton Moor Reservoir, and two at Chelker on the 19th were probably the ones which had left north from Doe Park a short time earlier. Six birds were at Cononley Ings late in the month, and November contributed seven on Lower Laithe Reservoir, eight on Chelker and two on Leeshaw.

An excellent year, particularly during the main spring movements. Though January was quiet, with a single bird at Swinsty Reservoir and two at Knotford Nook, the main March relocation had some excellent counts. These comprised 28 birds at Lower Laithe Reservoir on the 11th and 12th, up to 41 at Lower Barden Reservoir on the 16th, 58 over nearby Barden Scale three days later (having been seen a little earlier at Blubberhouses), and 50 at Thornton Moor Reservoir on the 20th. In this period, seven birds spent a day at Lindley Wood Reservoir, and a further 26 were at Lower Barden on 6th April.

The autumn numbers were moderate. Late October had seven birds at Lower Laithe, eleven and three on different days at Thornton Moor, and one at Snaygill. In November and early December, there were up to six at Cononley Ings and up to five at Thornton Moor, and six birds were found near Leathley at the year’s end.

A relatively quiet year, with only three double-figure counts. The spring relocation period produced 21 birds on Lower Barden Reservoir on 8th March, and 37 over Baildon the following day. Otherwise, on the 26th there were up to five birds at Otley Wetland and seven at Swinsty Reservoir, and, in April, two at St. Ives on the 7th, and eight at Thornton Moor Reservoir on the 12th.

Counts of arriving birds were even lower, and 19 over Rombalds Moor on 16th October represented the maximum. In the same month, Thornton Moor had two on the 12th, and eight on the 24th, Fewston Reservoir one on the 20th, and Lower Laithe Reservoir three the following day. In November, four were seen on Chelker Reservoir on the 3rd, two at Thornton Moor on the 5th, and a single bird was on the floods around Cononley between the 13th and 19th. Finally, one overflew Stockbridge on 5th December.