It is amazing to see how the Egyptian geese babies have grown.
There are 4 bird species in the community, and I wonder if you can identify them (10 shots).
But not to worry, as I as usual will show you what they are. First up in the shot above, you see a Helmeted Guinea fowl (Numida meleagris), with the Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) in the background. Then, I will show you the third and fourth specie in some of the photos below. I have posted the geese babies before when they were still small, but now you will see how they have grown, and the good news is that there are still 7 babies left. They are too big now for the smaller predator birds, except for the eagles and the bigger hawks. Oh, and also domestic cats and dogs. I can tell you that they have all learned from the dad how to become aggressive, and I have one photo below that will show you how one of the aggressive babies in action.
Come and see.
Here at the left, below, you can see a Speckled Pigeon (Columba guinea).
Oh, and then there were two Speckled Pigeons.
Just look how lovely this youngster is, and I think he is one of the leaders of the pack (3 shots).
You can see that they are a community, as the guineafowls and the speckled pigeons gathered here with the geese.
Ah, there's the fourth specie, below, that I said I would show you in-between the two speckled pigeons, and it is a little Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis).
Taking a break, as we have only a few warm days here, because Winter is still spoiling the other days.
Did I tell you I will show you how aggressive one of the babies acted like? Here he was shouting at the guineafowl on the left side, just out of the photo.
The good thing to see is that the people living around the dam are taking care of the wildlife, and we even see a section of the dam where people take their dogs for walks on leashes past the dam. A resident that lives right opposite the place where I took the photos of the geese from also told me that they keep an eye out for any predators or problem people that may come to disturb the peace at the dam.
Yes, it is indeed great to see that there are caring souls around, especially when the birds have babies. I read an article today about a poacher that was trampled to death by elephants when the poacher lined up his rifle to take a shot at a rhinoceros. Now I know that I am supposed to feel sorry for the guy that died, but I don't as they kill that magnificent animal just for its horn that they sell on the black market. Nature will look after itself.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos and words by Zac Smith. No AI and no Photoshop. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Until next time, shalom!