10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2012

It is commonly kept in captivity and has therefore established many feral populations world-wide originating from escaped / released cage birds. This is what happens when people choose their pet birds on visual factors alone without taking vocalizations into account. Very stupid thing to do.

Germany 247

Germany Netherlands Zoos Costa Rica 247

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2014

During the early 1990s, rumours surrounding the occurrence of a few Egyptian Geese in far north-western Germany emerged, the result of an increasing and spreading Dutch feral population. The situation was still much the same in 1995, when a friend and I went on a short birding trip to the Netherlands in winter, specifically to see geese.

Germany 150

Germany Netherlands Geese Kenya 150

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2019

One odd flock of Feral Pigeons above an arable field under deep snow – nothing for them to eat there, but I didn’t give them the attention they deserve and only a few hours later realised that they actually were Stock Doves. They were very scarce, less than ten per cent (or less) of all geese, something I never saw before.

Geese 149

Geese Serbia Ukraine Estonia 149

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2024

However, though there have been records of feral Barnacle Geese nesting in Suffolk for many years, the number of pairs remain small, and certainly not sufficient to account for flocks of the size now seen every winter. My guess is that they are birds that move across from the Netherlands for the winter.

Netherlands 219

Netherlands Geese Denmark Feral 219