Autumn stopover: White-fronted geese take off from the Miyajimanuma wetland in Hokkaido

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:04 JST, October 5, 2022

BIBAI, Hokkaido — White-fronted geese take off from the Miyajimanuma wetland in Bibai, Hokkaido, on Wednesday. Surrounded by rice paddies that provide a rich source of food, Miyajimanuma is a stopover point on the birds’ migration route from Russia’s Far East. The geese take flight en masse every day at around sunrise, returning in large flocks around sunset, with their high-pitched calls filling the air. According to Miyajimanuma Waterbird and Wetlands Center, the number of migratory birds in the area had hit a peak of about 62,000 by last week. Many of the geese have already started the journey south, where they will spend winter in wetlands including Izunuma in Miyagi Prefecture.