The arrival of a 20-year-old Bewick’s swan at WWT Slimbridge shows how protected wetlands across Europe are helping migratory birds adapt to climate change.

A Bewick’s swan with an extraordinary migratory history has arrived safely at WWT Slimbridge for the first time, more than 20 years after she was first recorded on the Arctic Russian tundra.

The 20-year-old female swan, Galina, was originally caught and colour-ringed by WWT researchers during fieldwork in the Pechora Delta in Arctic Russia. Since then, Galina has travelled thousands of miles across mainland Europe and has now been recorded in the UK for the first time.