Monday, May 13, 2013

Walk Like An Egyptian

I have had such a successful birding year already with yet another new species to add to my list: the Egyptian Goose. I was hiking at a newly discovered birding spot in town last week and met a group of ladies on their afternoon walk. They noticed my lens, stopped to talk, then pointed to the geese about 1/4 mile from where we stood. My legs couldn't get me over there fast enough. Luckily, I was able to get within a few feet without spooking them.




I have no idea how they ended up in Baton Rouge, but it was a treat to photograph them. The next day I went back to improve my photos and the geese were nowhere to be found. The clover had been mowed, so maybe they moved on to another feeding area.

**This is a scheduled post. Tomorrow is my birthday, so Double D is taking me hiking at Clark Creek Nature Area in Woodville, MS, about 60 miles from our house. In addition to birding, the area has several nice waterfalls and uncommon trees. Hopefully I will return with some nice photos!**


Further reading about the Egyptian Goose (Abridged excerpts from Wikipedia):
The Egyptian Goose is thought to be closely related to shelducks and their relatives. Native to Africa south of the Sahara and Nile Valley. They were considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians, appearing in much of their art. Because of their popularity as an ornamental bird, escapes are common and small feral populations have become established in Western Europe. Escapees have also bred on occasion in other places, such as Florida and New Zealand. Both sexes are aggressively territorial towards their own species when breeding and frequently pursue intruders in the air, attacking them in aerial "dogfights". They nest in a large variety of situations, especially in holes in mature trees. The female builds the nest from reeds, leaves and grass, and both parents take turns incubating the eggs. Egyptian Geese usually pair for life. Both the male and female care for the offspring until they are old enough to care for themselves.

51 comments:

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gail. Have a great time.
Oh these are the coolest ducks I have ever seen. Thank you for sharing. B

Amy Burzese said...

Happy Birthday! I hope you have a great day hiking with hubby. These guys certainly look Egyptian with those dark eyes. Great shots.

rainfield61 said...

Happy Birthday.

And in fact, you have had a very good birthday present keeping in your lens.

Anonymous said...

What a treat and rare find! Wonder how they got to your neck of the woods. HAVE A FABULOUS BIRTHDAY!!

the wild magnolia said...
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the wild magnolia said...

First things first, Happy Birthday! Your special day sounds filled with good things.

The Egyptian geese are unique and I am glad to see them and learn about them.

the wild magnolia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Suzan said...

Such neat geese!! They are unusual in appearance! With a body like a Canadian goose. Sooo sorry that they mowed all that clover! The bees need it as well as the geese.
Have a WONDERFUL Happy Birthday!!

Deanna said...

Interesting birds and ofcourse, spectacular images. Have a hppy, happy birthday, enjoy your day!!

TexWisGirl said...

these are awesome shots! thanks for sharing them!

happy, happy birthday to you!!!

Evelyn S. said...

First...Happy Birthday, Gail! I hope your day is wonderful---filled with all sorts of photographic opportunities! Second...the geese. They are unusual and beautiful, aren't they? I was studying the photos, and noticed the beautiful clover. Then I read further in your post to discover that it had been mowed; I suppose that's a necessary maintenance activity, but it's too bad. The geese definitely seem to be enjoying it.

Shug said...

Happy, Happy Birthday Gail.....Hope that Double D will treat you to all that you deserve and if he does....oh my goodness you will have a GREAT day that is extremely busy....

Best to you on your special day...
shug

Wonderful photos...

Karen said...

They are quite handsome looking, and I love the clover!

Happy Birthday to you!

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Such beautiful photographs of such an unusual bird! From their dark eyes to their beautiful feather coloring, they're gorgeous. And the clover just enhances the whole effect in the photos. Happy birthday, Gail! It sounds as if you have a perfect day planned.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

What a great find! Very interesting goose he is!

HAPPY happy Birthday. That's a great way to celebrate....somebody knows just what you wanted!

Chatty Crone said...

I have to be honest I didn't know there was an Egyptian Goose, but they are fascinating. Those eyes - the color - a little scary.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW and have fun! Enjoy your trip.

sandie

hootnonny said...

Happy Birthday, Gail! These little guys were quiet photogenic.

renae said...

Oh, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY tomorrow!!!! and hoping from great opportunities for your captures!!! Sounds wonderful for you!!!

and ...thank you, Gail, for your nice words to me. Yes, I love that all of my jewels/babbles and bangles are right at fingertips/arms length with no bending or stooping into drawer of mess! hahahahaha

Anonymous said...

Wow wow wow -what gorgeous shots of these geese!

Hope you have a magical birthday!

Anonymous said...

What a lucky encounter!These are beautiful shots.
Have a happy birthday!

Richard Pegler said...

I hope that you had a great birthday, Gail.

I love your shots of the Egyptian Geese, although I can't say the same for the birds themselves. They have very quickly spread through England and are a pain in the but! They're the first to breed and they try to take over the Osprey nests before the Ospreys return from wintering in Africa.They also have a large brood of chicks. They seem almost fearless of humans, and can be quite agressive to other birds. BEWARE!!!

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

A HUGE Happy Birthday to you! Sounds like you have a special day planned :-) Great shots!

A Creative Grace said...

Happy Happy Birthday Gail! You were clearly meant to be there to see the geese that day, beautiful shots :)

Hilary said...

Adorable.. they're so goofy cute!

Wishing you the happiest of birthdays, Gail. It sounds like a fine day is in the works.

Kittie Howard said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hope your trip is wonderful!

And what a treat to see the Egyptian Geese. Their markings are amazing! It blew me away that they were in BR. Wow! Those geese are everywhere in ancient Egyptian paintings, etc.

Brian King said...

I've seen photos of them on other blogs, but have never seen any in person. These are spectacular photos! The clover is awesome! Congrats on adding this species to your list!

And Happy Birthday!!!

Hootin Anni said...

These geese are incredible. I, like you, have seen and photographed a lot of 'newbies' from my want to photograph list. But the Egyptian Geese are not on my list. Maybe I'll add 'em just 'in case'. Sadly, I don't think we have any clover for them either. LOL

Happy, Happy Birthday. [May 14th? or the 13th?] My son's 41st B-day is the 19th. And my oldest grandson had a birthday on the 12th.

Enjoy your outing, and hope you get to see tons of good birds and wildlife...maybe some beautiful landscapes too?

Rambling Woods said...

Happy Birthday....love the goose...

Donna said...

Happy Birthday...what an amazing bird to find in the US..

Carletta said...

Happy,Happy Birthday!
Have a wonderful time!!!!

eileeninmd said...

Gail, Happy Birthday to you! I hope you are having a wonderful day. I love the Egyptian Goose. Great sighting and photos.

Willow said...

Wow what a treat I have never seen Egyptian Geese before, really interesting color and pattern , very much enjoyed the shots.
From one TAURIAN to another HAPPY B-Day !

Karen said...

Happy birthday, hope you have a wonderful day, these shots of the Egyptian geese are wonderful, looking forward to some more great captures.

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday!! I do hope you enjoy every minute of it. I really enjoyed these photo of theses Egyptian geese. And I can't wait to see what you capture in Clark Creek..

Hugs~

beth said...

happy birthday gail !!!

and wait, you wanted to better your photos? omg, now that's just crazy talk as these are spectacular !!!

xo

Barbara said...

They are so unusual!! Awesome photos! Can't wait to see what you find on your birthday excursion. Happy birthday!!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Happy Birthday. I am certain you will have wonderful pictures,I would expect noting less.

Charlotte Wilson said...

Dear sweet Gail, Happy Birthday! I hope it is a wonderful day for you.
These birds are so unusual and ornamental. Thanks for the photos.

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Love your shots of the geese and clover - so much clover too! Just as well you caught them while they could be found.

Hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Stewart M said...

These are funny looking birds - I think its the eye patch!

For my autumn shots I had the camera on a tripod with the camera focused on the leaves. I turned off the auto-focus once it was set up. The shutter speed was long - deliberately to get a blur of P has she ran through the leaves.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

EG CameraGirl said...

If I had seen these in a park I would have NO idea what they were. Great sleuthing. I like how you've captured them in amongst the clover.

Happy birthday and what a thoughtful guy Double D is to take you birding!

Stephanie said...

Happy Birthday to a VERY sweet lady! Have a beautiful day, dear friend :) Love the pictures.

Hugs to you!

Rosie Grey said...

Happy Birthday, Gail!!! All the best to you and I hope you are having the best of days today! Enjoy!!!
And I've enjoyed your wonderful photos - amazing as always! :-)

renae said...

That is so fun of you to notice stripes and florals and wanting it. That makes me feel happy to be a part of some portion of inspiration in your life/thinking. yay!

The side angle shot of this goose is amazing because each feather is defined. Amazing work, Gail!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness what an awesome find and you have photographed them so well my friend....that 2nd shot just needs to be printed & framed! Big hugs to you sunshine! xoxo

Ann said...

such a gorgeous bird!!!!!!
i've never seen one....your photos are so marvelous !!!
A very Happy Natal Anniversary to you!!!!

Carletta said...

Happy Birthday!
Love these little guys!
The color in the photos is quite lovely as well.
I'm leaving here with 'Walk Like An Egyptian running through my head but I like the song so it's ok.
Hope your birthday was wonderfully spent!

Sharon Wagner said...

Happy birthday and birding!

Phil Slade said...

Gail, Thanks for visiting my blog during my absence in Menorca. I didn’t have full computer access on holiday so wasn’t able to visit Blogger pals at the time but I’m now in the process of catching up with everyone.I was wondering about how those geese came to be in Louisiana so far from home. There's a feral population here in the UK made up from original escapees. Whatever the reason they are an attractive looking goose with your super photos doing them great justice.

HansHB said...

Lovely to study your photos!

Laura Delegal - Leroy Photography said...

Fantastic shots. Love them.