Over 20,000 geese stop at Hokkaido lake on the way to Russia’s Far East

More than 20,000 greater white-fronted geese are resting at a wetland in the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido.

The geese, designated as a National Natural Monument, spend winters on the country’s main island of Honshu. Each spring, they stop at Miyajima-numa Lake in Bibai City before migrating to their breeding grounds in the Russian Far East.

Miyajima-numa is designated under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

Before dawn on Sunday, the geese took off all at once from the lake, heading for nearby rice fields to peck at fallen grains and other food.

Many people gathered before sunrise to take photos of the birds taking off into the early morning sky, their calls echoing through the air.

A woman from Tomakomai City said she had only seen the geese in videos before, but was deeply impressed watching them with her own eyes.

A man who visits the site almost every year said the sight is magnificent no matter how many times he sees it, but that there are slightly fewer birds this year. He added that larger numbers make for a more powerful spectacle.