When you drive through the countryside these days, you often spot white patches in the fields that seem to be moving around. And if you take the trouble to look more closely, you soon realize that these are groups of birds excitedly going about their business.

At first I didn't know exactly what these birds could be, but in the meantime I have of course gotten to know them better. We are dealing with swans that have recently arrived in our region and will now be spending the winter in this part of the country. The swans have come a long way from eastern Siberia, where it is probably already much colder than here. Every year large flocks of these large white birds come down to the Sea of Japan, where they seem to feel quite at home.

During the day they are out and about in the fields, where they still find plenty of food, and at night they can be found on the larger bodies of water, where they rest from their strenuous day's work. At some lakes you can get quite close to the swans, which in turn attracts many birdwatchers who want to see the swans up close.

Unfortunately, they are a bit far away here in the rice fields and I'm sure that if I were to approach them and walk closer, they would quickly take to their heels and fly away. I can understand that, I don't want to be disturbed while I'm eating either, so I left it at a photo from a distance.

I hope you guys enjoyed your meal. Take it easy and have a nice rest of the day...