Whooper Swans _Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido.

Подробнее о видео

The whooper swan (pronounced hooper), Cygnus cygnus, is a large Northern Hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan.
Whooper swans return to Lake Kussharo every winter as if to fulfill an age old promise. The surface of the lake freezes in the winter, but along its sandy beach geothermal springs prevent any ice from forming.
Lake Kussharo is a caldera lake in Akan National Park, eastern Hokkaidō, Japan. As with many geographic names in Hokkaidō, the name derives from the Ainu language. It is the largest caldera lake in Japan in terms of surface area, and sixth largest lake in Japan. It is also the largest lake in Japan to freeze over completely in winter.
The lake’s central island, Nakajima, is a composite volcano. Volcanic gases render the lake water acidic, and it supports few fish except in areas where inflowing streams dilute the water.
Along the lake shore are several outdoor hot springs and a sand beach with naturally heated sand and hot ground water.
Whooper swans are much admired in Europe.[6] The whooper swan is the national bird of Finland and is featured on the Finnish 1 euro coin.