I am not a photographer by any means; I only sometimes take mobile snapshots while wandering around. When I get to Germany, there are always birds willing to pose. I don’t know if the Germans treat them better than others, so they trust people more. My best guess is their dogs are obedient enough not to rouse the birds, which does not only apply to German Shepherds. Anyway, I had some spare time after the Hive Meetup in Aachen, and I happened to hang around the suburbs the day after. These shots are from Westpark, a green oasis with children’s playgrounds, ball sports pitches, and a dog agility park just a few hundred meters from where the city walls once stood. These birds are likely not into any of them. Yet, they may be attracted to the outdoor grill, promising some tasty crumbs and litter, and obviously the large pond with a fountain.
Quite surprisingly, this is a street gang of Egyptian geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca), a species introduced to the Benelux region, Germany, and France about 50 years ago. Not that I knew – I had to google it. They’re known to behave aggressively towards other birds but felt quite friendly to me. On the other hand, who knows what their real intentions were - look at their eyes!
At first, they posed eagerly, but I lost them when it became obvious I had nothing to feed them with.
The other geese (Branta canadensis or Canadian geese) indeed played it safe, gathering at the other bank far enough to face territorial clashes. This species was also introduced to Europe in recent decades. I was surprised by how loud the adults honked at the three ducklings anytime they lagged more than a few steps behind. They were less interested in me, perhaps due to the youngsters, and I didn’t want to ruin their lunch, so I only took a few shots and left.
Date: June 30, 2024
Loc: 50.7725808N, 6.0695714E - Aachen, Germany
Species: Alopochen aegyptiaca & Branta canadensis
This happens to be my #julyinleo day 16 entry. Feel free to join the challenge with own genuine long posts!