Happy Smew Year - 2024!
Smew are scarce winter visitors to the UK, with most birds not arriving until at least December and leaving again by the middle of March. They spend the summer in the taiga forests of northern Scandinavia and Russia.
The number of smews reaching the UK each winter has decreased dramatically in recent decades and they are now considered a scarce visitor. In the mid 20th century, hundreds would spend the winter here, with a record 144 counted at a single London reservoir in 1956. By contrast, in 2019 it was estimated that only 130 smews wintered in the whole of Britain. This decrease has been attributed to the effects of climate change, with warmer winters meaning the birds don't need to travel as far from their breeding grounds to escape freezing conditions.
I have observed this species at a number of sites, including inland lakes (Eye Brook Reservoir – Leicestershire, Rutland Water) but also RSPB Minsmere nature reserve in Suffolk
Smew are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. They are classified as ‘Red’ under the “Birds of Conservation Concern: Red List for Birds” (2021).
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/waterfowl/smew
