The World of White - Where Swans Live Happily

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (74mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec, ISO-100)

There's no reason not to enjoy snow in Niigata. My home is located in a village with little snow so I'm coming to Lake Hyoko. Lake Hyoko is one of the national natural treasures, and was designated as a precious wetland under Ramsar Convention.

It is, indeed, a small lake famous for friendly swans. And today, you will be surprised to see how friendly they are from the photos below.

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (74mm, f/4, 1/400 sec, ISO-100)

There are hundreds of swans, and maybe thousands of ducks in Lake Hyoko. What a great number...

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (70mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec, ISO-100)

Swans and ducks are gathering here, waiting for people to feed them.

Actually, I do not like places like this because quite a few birds were screaming and shouting while too many people, too, were gathering in one place. It was crowded like a full train.

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (200mm, f/4, 1/400 sec, ISO-100)

This is why I decided to go further. I started to walk to the east.

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (70mm, f/5.6, 1/160 sec, ISO-100)

There were small ponds on the way. They've created this fantastic contrast of the white and the gray. They made me hold high expectations for the scenery over there.

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (70mm, f/2.8, 1/320 sec, ISO-100)

Trees were growing from right in front of me to a distance. The black color of these stubborn trunks and branches has a good contrast with an unbroken expanse of snow.

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (70mm, f/4, 1/160 sec, ISO-100)

There was a relatively large pond over there. There were no humans here.

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (200mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec, ISO-100)

But instead, swans were playing freely. This is a paradise of swans!

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (200mm, f/2.8, 1/320 sec, ISO-100)

Two swans are thinking of landing onto a snowy ground.

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (143mm, f/2.8, 1/320 sec, ISO-100)

Oh, it is now on the ground! I love this scene because the combination of the white snow and the white swan does symbolize winter very much.

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (105mm, f/4, 1/160 sec, ISO-100)

It's opened its wings! The whole view is dominated by the white color.

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (143mm, f/4, 1/160 sec, ISO-100)

By the way, I found this swan at the end. Is it a child of swan? The color of the beak is different.

Canon EOS 6D, Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (200mm, f/4, 1/160 sec, ISO-100)

I enjoyed this world of white very much. Bye bye, this beautiful lake, Hyoko. I will come here again.