MINAMI-SOMA, Fukushima Prefecture--At least one species is enjoying life in the shadow of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Rice paddies in the southern part of Minami-Soma, which lies in the 20-kilometer no-entry zone around the nuclear plant, are providing a haven for flocks of migrating swans.
Each flock consists of about 100 birds, which have been feasting on farmland devoid of humans.
The tsunami of March 11 last year transformed the paddies into a series of seaside shoals. Migrating swans used to winter at nearby irrigation ponds, but birds in such present numbers have never been seen before.
City government officials noted there are large numbers of mallards and other bird species this year, presumably due in part to the formation of intact brackish wetlands, where a wealth of edible plants are growing.
With the approach of spring, the swans will fly back north toward the end of this month.
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