Egyptian Goose

[237SJ]

Just saw a strange bird in the park and rspb bird identifier says it`s an Egyptian Goose. Anyone else seen one? There`s no status on the website but it says there are 700 adults in the UK. Common in Norfolk apparently but I saw it in Bushy Park.

[redman41]

Saw a couple in London ( Wandsworth Park ) over Xmas, first time I ever saw some.
Very colourful but ugly !

[237SJ]

They`re obviously spreading this way redman. I would have seen one before if they were there last year.

[redman41]

Where is Bushy Park 237sj ?

[ethandron]

yep, saw some in norfolk, very odd looking bird.

[237SJ]

redman - it`s right by Hampton Court Palace. I also saw something interesting there the other day. We have loads of Himalayan Parakeets here and I was wondering where they roost then I saw one disappear into a hole in a tree. Mystery solved.
Yes, ethandron, they are odd. I wasn`t sure at first if it was a goose or a duck.

[redman41]

Parakeets were a first for me as well, London has plenty of them along with Foxes !

[237SJ]

There is a rumour around here that the parakeets came because a pair escaped when they were filming the African Queen at Shepperton studios (about 3 miles from here) but I think it`s just an urban myth.

[ethandron]

thought i had one in the garden this morning by the racket coming from one of the trees. turned out to be a jay (i think). see plenty of jays but never heard one before.

[237SJ]

Yes, we get jays. Funnily enough I come from a very rural area but I never saw a jay until I moved to an urban area.

[rowanwitch]

First Egyptian goose I saw was in South Park Ilford in the early 1980s it had been recorded on the birding sites in the area for a few weeks before settling down with the resident canada geese. He was actually twitchable at that point although there are small breeding groups across the South East now... and Kew Gardens have some that wander over the fence onto the Thames...

As for the Parakeets they are almost at pest concentration in parts of london....great fun to watch though... they are moving northwards relatively quickly and I think at least one pair have already bred in Solihull

[237SJ]

Yes rowan, you`re right about the parakeets although I`m not sure whether they deprive the native birds of food. I`ve found a few cashew nut shells dotted around the lawn lately and I think someone must have put them out for the parakeets and they`ve dropped them. I think the Canada Geese are becoming a pest now. There are two many of them and with heathrow not far away they can be a hazard. They caused an incident with a South African jumbo some years ago that could have been quite nasty. They mess everywhere as well

[rowanwitch]

They are controlling the Canadas by ensuring the eggs don't hatch in some places rather than culling existing birds or removing eggs from nests Main problem with the parakeets is not competition for food but for nest holes....they have the potential to affect the population of our native woodpeckers as a result also other birds that nest or roost in holes in trees....some owls and wrens could also be hit by the influx

[beattie819]

We have had a pair of egyptian geese visit for the past three years. They suddenly appear by our pond, and come when we call goosie woosies (embarrasing eh!), and they enjoy a little soaked bread. We also see them in a village 6 miles away,I think they are lovely. I live in North Hampshire.