A welcome vagrant

The colourful fellow at the bottom of the picture seems to have decided that Millbrook lake is as good a place as any to settle for a while. He arrived on or around the 15th July; the photo above was taken yesterday (08th August).

What you're seeing, for those who aren't keen birders, is an Egyptian Goose. Originally introduced as an ornamental bird for private collections, some early escapees formed a feral population in East Anglia in the early 1800s and they've been recognised as a wild British species since 1971. So it's a genuine "spot" for anyone who's as dull as me and collects such things. Hey, it's a harmless enough pastime.

For the really nerdy amongst us, it's not really a goose at all. That's just it's common name. It's actually a member of the shelduck family.