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Letter: Can You Help With These Two Strange Birds?

Published on: 16 Dec, 2020
Updated on: 16 Dec, 2020

Egyptian geese Photo Malcolm Fincham

From: Chris Quinn

On Monday (December 14) I spotted a pair of geese (or possibly ducks) on the Bellfields green by the “Moggie pond”.

They looked very unusual, but as I was with my dog, I couldn’t get near enough to have a proper look.

Perhaps if Malcolm Fincham, the Dragon’s bird watcher, gets a  chance, it may be worth a look?

I have tried to identify them with my bird book but to no avail.

Malcolm replies:

Not an easy one, even for me, to identify. A photo or even a fuller description would have been helpful.

But I have passed by the pond on several occasion and seen a pair of Egyptian geese there.

Egyptian geese, like Canada geese, were first introduced on ornamental ponds. Now they can be seen on gravel pits and lowland lakes and wetlands across the country.

I first saw them in Norfolk over 20 years ago, when they were quite rare to view. Since then they have continued to spread out, throughout the South East and are now fairly common around Surrey.

Although having the name Egyptian goose they are in fact thought to be related to the shelduck.

Good to hear of people taking interest of the wildlife around them, just hope my guess is correct.

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Responses to Letter: Can You Help With These Two Strange Birds?

  1. Chris Quinn Reply

    December 16, 2020 at 7:13 pm

    That’s them. Thank-you.

  2. K White Reply

    December 17, 2020 at 1:00 am

    There’s no doubt these are Egyptian geese. They are resident and breed here and can be found at the Riverside Nature Reserve and also near Pyrford Priory.

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