Five kilometers away from the house I grew up in, there is a rice paddy that over 1,000 swans call home every winter. This place is called Swan Village, and it is said to be the second largest gathering spot for swans in Japan. My family visited for the very first time this month and were greeted by a hoard of hooting swans in an otherwise ordinary-looking field. Why here? we wondered.
Listen to the soundscape of Tundra Swans in Swan Village.
Our question was answered by a wooden sign by the field.
In the winter of 1992, heavy rains flooded a rice paddy that was under construction for broken drainage. Six swans happened to land in the paddy full of water. A man named Mitsuo Ideyama, who was managing the land, noticed and started to feed them. At first, they would fly off, threatened by his presence. However, Ideyama-san kept returning every day at the same time, wearing the same clothes and bringing tasty bites to eat, until the birds recognized him and his benevolent intentions.
The next year, 12 swans arrived. The following, it was 23. The swans remembered the kindness of their human friend and kept on returning, bringing others. Each year, the numbers continued increasing. A swan protection group was quickly established to protect their new habitat and ensure that they could return to Siberia, healthy and happy, at the end of winter.
Names: Tundra Swan | Cygnus columbianus | コハクチョウ (kohakuchō)
Size: around 130cm
Diet: They eat aquatic plants and invertebrates, grasses, and winter crops. Smaller waterfowl take advantage of their feeding habits and often stick around them for free meals, eating the excess plant matter that the swans uproot.
Cleaning routine: Swans work hard to look as elegant as they do! A healthy swan typically preens itself for up to two hours a day to stay white, waterproof, and bacteria-free.
Range: The subspecies that visits Japan, known as Bewick’s Swan, migrates to Japan and Eastern China from Siberia. Another subspecies, the Whistling Swan, can be found in parts of Canada and the United States.
Habitat: They are found in various bodies of shallow water such as lakes, ponds, and river edges. They are also seen in agricultural fields with bodies of water nearby.
In celebration of my 50th post of Drawing to See, I have exciting news! I was recently invited to share some of my bird drawings at The Nature of Cities Festival which will take place in Berlin this June. (There will also be a virtual segment of the festival in April.) Folks around the world from all disciplines will come together “to think, imagine and seed ideas for building cities that are better for nature and all people” (TNOC). I’m excited to be joining this inspiring community of artists, scientists, musicians, urban planners, performers, and architects! If you’re also interested, you can sign up to attend the festival here.
Thank you for being a part of this journey—for looking, listening, and learning alongside me!
For paying subscribers, here is the wallpaper of the month!