It was lovely to spend time in London with Lucy and her family. Sadly the weather was rather against us when it came to getting out and about, but there was one nice day for a trip to the London Wetland Centre.
It is only a short distance from where Lucy lives, and Lucy and her two children spent a long time there. Unfortunately Lucy's husband was working and couldn't join us.
London Wetland Centre is a wetland reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Barnes. The site is formed of four disused Victorian reservoirs tucked into a loop in the River Thames. The centre first opened in 2000, and in 2002 an area of 29.9 hectares was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
It is designed to allow visitors to see the wildlife, but they are confined to a strip of land along the southern and western sides of the site, with the rest of the site being undisturbed to protect the wildlife.
The children rather liked this colourful goose, so I ended up with several photos of it.
The Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) is a member of the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. 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. Because of their popularity chiefly as an ornamental bird, escapees are common and feral populations have become established in Western Europe, the United States, and New Zealand.
Egyptian geese were first introduced to England in the 17th century and had become particularly popular on private estates in Norfolk by the 19th century. Some escaped into the wild, breeding and establishing colonies elsewhere including Berkshire and London - and in particular along the River Thames.
This is just one of several rather exotic creatures that have established colonies in London. I still can't get over the numbers of wild parrots to be seen.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
The Egyptan Geese was quite populat with my grandchildren, especially when two of them started chasing each other.
Ian
I hope Michaela enjoyed her visit to London, and tha she had better weather than when I was there!
Ian
It does seem strange - they are probably some remnant of Empire!
Ian