Wintering Whooper Swans arrived back at Lough Beg last weekend, flying pretty much non-stop more than 1000 kilometres from Iceland. Among them is a swan called T6. Once settled on their traditional grazing grounds, they rarely fly more than 1km per day. We think they deserve a restful winter, do you?
Habitat fragmentation and A6 construction disturbance killed 16 last winter. Eight dead swans have already been found by farmers since September. What fate awaits T6?
The NI Department for Infrastructure promised the public, cognisant of legal advice received in July 2016, that they would require contractors to stop construction work in the vicinity of Lough Beg's Toome wetlands every winter from the end of September to mid-March. This is to stop disturbance and panic, invariably leading to a decline in population of these iconic birds.
Not only has this environmental commitment been broken, additional infrastructure like lay-bys next to sensitive overnight roost sites are sprouting out of nowhere, never assessed for their environmental impact.
Keep sharing this petition and please, if you are social media savvy, pop over to Facebook or Instagram where the story has and is continuing to unfold all of this month. The swans are back, lend them your voice. Follow T6 and his Toome Complex tribe, who like faithful swallows are returning to their winter home.