I Walked Like An Egyptian

I called in at Clayton Hill in the Lee Valley Park on the way to M&S this evening. Two Egyptian geese were standing on a tree stump in the lake. The aspect wasn't perfect as they were backlit but I edged forward very slowly so as not to startle them. I ended up cowering behind a tree and then shuffled towards them a bit like Wilson or Keppel doing the Sand Dance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq7DGvfnr3U  They weren't in the least perturbed. I felt a bit of an idiot. How was I to know that they were so used to humans? :)

The Egyptian goose is actually more duck than goose and is from the same family as our Shelduck. It was introduced here from Africa south of the Sahara and the Nile valley to grace ornamental lakes. It was sacred to the ancient Egyptians and appears in their artwork. Its Greek name means 'fox goose' on account of its colour. 

They're very territorial birds, one attacked a drone in the Netherlands. They nest in rabbit burrows and holes in trees. 

Can't stop singing this now. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vslHWb3gObw