Hundreds of whooper swans have flown to winter on the famous Lake Svetloye in the Altai nature reserve

With the first severe frosts, the number of swans on Lake Svetloye in the Altai Territory has increased significantly. As the Ministry of Natural Resources of the region reported in its telegram channel, on the morning of December 5, about 800 snow-white birds could already be observed here. The lake is located in the Lebediny Nature Reserve and is the only place in Russia for mass wintering of whooper swans in the continental climate zone.

At the very beginning of December, a heating point was opened on the observation deck in the reserve for tourists who come here to watch beautiful birds. Here you can not only stay warm, but also charge your phone.

The Lebediny State Nature Reserve has been in existence since 1973. In addition to meadow, forest, and wetlands, it includes 96 km of the Katun River and about 70 islands, according to the reserve's website.

There are small lakes that do not freeze all winter, from the bottom of which springs beat, maintaining a temperature of +4...+6 ° C. One of these lakes is Svetloye (or Swan Lake).

The whooper swan is a large bird, got its name for its loud trumpet calls, especially often made in flight.

Whoopers nest in the forest zone of Eurasia, in the north in the tundra, in the south in open dry landscapes, as well as in the high–altitude tundra in the Altai Mountains, including on the Ukok plateau.

Swans from the northern part of Western Siberia spend the winter within the Swan Reserve. Swans arrive in the reserve for the winter in November, and fly away in the first decade of April.

In addition to swans, more than two thousand wild ducks stop on the lakes, as well as a large rabbit.