Today in Cherry Hinton Park I observed some new visitors that were very much together. It is native to Africa south of the Sahara and the Nile Valley. Egyptian geese were considered sacred by the Ancient Egyptians, and appeared in much of their artwork.
Related to the shelduck, this pale brown and grey goose has distinctive dark brown eye-patches and contrasting white wing patches in flight. It was introduced as an ornamental wildfowl species and has escaped into the wild, now successfully breeding in a feral state.
Egyptian geese are frequently seen on ornamental ponds where they were originally purchased as decorative birds. Now can be seen in gravel pits, lowland lakes and wetlands. The north Norfolk coast holds the highest numbers and they can be seen on the Norfolk Broads.
