Here is David's reply:
"Many thanks for your report of the colour-ringed swan R7R at Lotmead Farm, which has been forwarded to me by WWT. From your Blogspot I can see that the ring is orange and therefore one of mine used in my long-term study of of the swan population in the Hampshire Avon catchment.
R7R was ringed on 23 Jul 2016 as a first year bird (i.e. hatched 2015) in a moulting flock at Great Durnford (in the Woodford valley N of Salisbury, SU132377) and was sexed on cloacal examination as a female.
There were no subsequent sightings until your own. This is an interesting movement, as most of the swan population in the northern end of the Avon remain within the catchment.
Occasionally, however, individuals turn up on the Thames, Cotswold Water Park or Somerset Levels.
If you come across this, or other orange-ringed swans in the Swindon area then do email me direct. It will be interesting to learn if R7R does stay to breed, although the pair are perhaps not quite mature enough. Females usually start to breed at 3 years old and males at 4 years. Regards David"
