Egyptian goslings in Peckham Rye park!

[Sue]

Four little goslings by the pond,  with their mum and dad keeping a close watch on them yesterday!

It seems very early? Apparently they were born last week, and there were five then 😭

Let's hope the rest of them escape what I presume was the heron.

Sorry just realised this should be on the nature watch thread, maybe admin could move it? Apologies.

Edited yesterday at 11:53 by Sue
On wrong thread 😞

[CPR Dave]

Could have been one of the many rats that live there.

Or one of the many dogs that people let run around off their leash in that dog free zone.

[Sue]

23 hours ago, CPR Dave said:

Could have been one of the many rats that live there.

Or one of the many dogs that people let run around off their leash in that dog free zone.

Do rats eat ducklings/goslings?

I'd have thought anything on four legs approaching a gosling would have been seen off by the parents, whereas the heron swooping down can just fly off with it 😥

Edited 3 hours ago by Sue

[d walker]

43 minutes ago, CPR Dave said:

Could have been one of the many rats that live there.

Or one of the many dogs that people let run around off their leash in that dog free zone.

It's a "dogs on lead" zone, not a dog free zone. Although I agree people should not let their dogs chase wildlife,  anywhere,  not just there.

[alice]

There were 3 about an hour ago.   I had thought the area around the lake over the low fence was a no dog area.

[Penguin68]

Dogs can't read and some owners don't bother to, I'm afraid. Too many seem to think that rules don't apply to them. Or their charges. 

[Sue]

4 hours ago, alice said:

There were 3 about an hour ago.   I had thought the area around the lake over the low fence was a no dog area.

If you mean the area immediately adjacent to the water, I have never seen either a dog or a human in there.

Surely it would be extremely difficult for someone - or their dog - to get over the fence (I thought they were iron railings. Are we talking about different parts of the pond/lake?)

[alice]

Just to the right of where the goslings were there’s a tree on the lake side of the fence where I like to watch the mother and baby rats. It was there today I saw a  dog. I was surprised by the nimble way this large dog jumped back over the fence. 

Edited 20 hours ago by alice
Sense

[Sue]

Would the parent geese not attack a dog (whatever size) who came anywhere near the goslings?

They were keeping very close to them on Friday, and when one of the goslings wandered just a little way off from the others, one of the parents followed it.

This was on land, very close to the railings,  not on the water.

Edited 3 hours ago by Sue

[alice]

I’m sure that’s true. She is very protective. When I first saw her I couldn’t see the goslings and then they appeared from underneath her.  Maybe there was a fourth, but it certainly wasn’t anywhere near the mother so that makes me think it had already been lost.

[Sue]

45 minutes ago, alice said:

I’m sure that’s true. She is very protective. When I first saw her I couldn’t see the goslings and then they appeared from underneath her.  Maybe there was a fourth, but it certainly wasn’t anywhere near the mother so that makes me think it had already been lost.

Let's hope no more of them disappear 😥

I don't know whether geese have a second brood later on? It seems very early in the year for goslings, but I haven't yet googled to find out more.