(*Please beware of the sound volume of the video.)
At this time of year, the suburbs of Sapporo are quiet after all the agricultural activity. However, when large migratory waterfowls such as swans and geese appear on their way south, their trumpet-like calls make the whole rural atmosphere more fun and livelier!
Whooper swans, for example, breed and raise their young from spring to summer in/near the Arctic Circle, which is closed off by snow and ice in winter, making foraging impossible. They therefore fly along the regular ‘flyways’ to their wintering grounds on the Japanese island of Honshu in order to survive despite the 3000 km of distance.
On their way south, they stop in Hokkaido to feed and rest for a few weeks. The autumn flocks also include many young birds, which are 4-5 months old but have grown to almost adult size. (Weight about 10 kg, wingspan about 2.3 meters).
When the last of the flocks are gone, Hokkaido’s winter begins.
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