Greylag Geese and Canada Geese

In a field near the bridge we call the Heron Bridge, there have been geese in the field for a few weeks. They seem to go there every year. First of all we thought they might be Pink Footed Geese but after a bit of research we now think that that they are Graylag Geese.

Greylag Geese

Greylag Geese are the largest and biggest wild geese in the UK and Europe. These geese, often seen with Canada Geese, weigh 2.9 to 3.9 KG and have a wingspan of up to 180cm. Their feathers are brown, cream, buff, grey and white, they have a long, orange, duck-like beaks and their legs are pink. They can be found in farmland, grassland, coastal areas, urban and sub-urban areas and wetland, so can see them in lots of different paces. There are 46,000 breeding pairs in the UK and 88,000 geese come over from Iceland every winter.

Canada Geese

Firstly, I would like to thank my mums friend because see let me go into her garden so I could get closer to the Canada geese as they were in the lake behind her house.

Canada Geese were introduced from North America to the UK in 1905 and now cover most of the UK. They have a distinctive black head and throat and a white neck patch. These geese live in massive and noisy flocks. When we spoke to my mums friend, she said that when she first moved into her house she thought she would have to move as the Canada Geese were so noisy, but luckily she has just got used to them! Canada Geese eat roots, seed, grass and leaves. They can weigh up to 5 KG and have a wingspan of up to 180cm. There are 62,000 UK breeding pairs and 190,000 geese wintering in the UK.