RECORD numbers of birds have flocked to a Lancashire wildlife reserve for food as the freezing weather continues to bite.
More than 38,000 pink-footed geese and hundreds of 1,940 whooper swans have migrated south from Iceland to Martin Mere's wetland centre to avoid the cold weather.
Martin Mere covers over 350 acres and is visited by thousands of migratory wildfowl throughout the year, as well as being home to over 1,000 tame birds, many of which are on the endangered list.
Whooper swans spend the summer in Iceland and use Martin Mere as a winter roost.
Marketing manager Victoria Fellowes said: "The weather has had a big impact and we've had the highest migration of Whooper swans for 35 years.
"The majority of them came the day before the first cold snap four weeks ago.
"Some of the wetland has frozen over and we have had to move our flamingos indoors to be more comfortable because it's not safe for them to be on the ice with their long legs."
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