In a centuries-old ritual that signals chilly weather is officially on the way, Hamburg’s famous Alster swans were rounded up from the open water and transported to their winter quarters where they will be held until spring.
The port city’s “swan father” Olaf Nieß and a group of helpers plucked some 35 of the 120 snowy white birds from the outer Alster Lake with a flurry of plumage, binding their feet and wings for the trip before a large group of observers.
Photo: DPA