Whooper Swans are a fairly common winter visitor to northern England and Scotland.
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At Martin Mere, the newly arrived birds are easily distinguished due to the reddish staining on their head and neck caused by a high concentration of iron oxide in the water and soil around their breeding grounds.
The staining is temporary, and after a couple of weeks at Martin Mere their plumage returns to a pristine white...except for the juveniles who are a silvery-grey colour.
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