by Beeston Birdman
Gosling? Gander? Gaggle?
Apart from the rumble of passing trains and the warning siren at the Barton Lane level crossing the soundscape of Attenborough Nature Reserve (ANR) is often the honking of geese.
This article covers one goose that is rather rare locally and three more common species that you may come across if you ‘take a walk on the wild side.’
Ancestor of most domestic geese, the Greylag Goose is the largest of the wild geese native to the UK and Europe.
An attractive bird with a distinctive orange bill, finely marked grey/brown plumage and a white rump. The picture shows an adult with goslings.
The UK population of around 100,000 doubles in winter with migrants from Iceland.
Native to sub-tropical Africa the Egyptian Goose was considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians appearing in much of their artwork.
Originally introduced in the late 17th century to the UK as an ornamental species to adorn the estates of the landed gentry, Egyptian geese now breed successfully in the wild, mainly in eastern and southern England.
Their preferred nest sites are often holes in trees from which the goslings must jump soon after hatching to reach the relative safety of open water. They have been known to use the kestrel nest box on a tall post in the Ridge & Furrow Field at ANR.
With their distinctive dark brown eye-patches and contrasting white wing feathers in flight, these colourful birds can be spotted in all of our local waters.
It is not unusual for a pair to have larger broods than the six goslings pictured.
The widespread Canada Goose is also an introduced species but from North America as its name implies. They are large birds with a black head and neck and large white throat patch.
Sometimes regarded as a nuisance when they gather in large numbers to graze on parkland such as Highfields.
They are attentive parents, often gathering goslings into large creches where one or more adults always have their heads up in turn keeping watch as in the picture.
At first glance the Barnacle Goose could be mistaken for a Canada goose but closer examination reveals it is just black and white.
The picture is of the only example I have seen locally, at ANR in February 2020, but with a UK wintering population of around 10,000 it is possible that the odd few might come further inland from their normal coastal range
The name arises from times when migration was not understood and the myth that they hibernated in the sea as barnacles was used to ‘explain’ their disappearance in the summer.
