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HOKKAIDO, JAPAN – APR. 19: Some seventy thousand wild geese are flocking to a pond in Bibai, Hokkaido, as a final leg of winter haven in Japan before leaving here later in the spring for their breeding points further north -- Russian Siberia. The birds are called greater white-fronted geese, designated as Japan's natural treasure. They start flying up in early mornings to search for food in rice paddies around the pond to come back later in the day. The pond, Miyajima Numa, is registered on the international list of the Ramsar Convention for the protection of wetlands because it is a final gathering point of the birds after spending the winter elsewhere in Japan including Marunuma pond in Miyagi Prefecture, another big winter haven.