Wednesday 18 June 2014

Wild Bird Wednesday 101 - Cape Barren Goose

I spent most of this Sunday down on Phillip Island - which is about 2 hours (give or take the traffic) east of Melbourne.  When I catch up, I'll do a full post about the trip over on my wordy blog - but for now, I just show some pictures.

The Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) is a true goose - although some books describe it as "an aberrant one" - i.e. not really typical of the birds we call geese.  This is a substantial bird, weighing in at about 4 - 6 kg.  Every time I see them I am surprise they were not eaten into extinction in the early colonial period of Australian history.

The males and females are very similar - but the female sits on the nest which is a bit of a give away some times.

When ever I watch geese of any kind feeding I can't help but think of them as flying cows - large, slow moving, grass eating herbivores.

The name Cape Barren seems to have come from the Island of the same name, which lies between Tasmania and the mainland - although it only seems to have become popular as a name when sealers started to use the island.  I can only assume that was bad news for both the seals and the geese.

Male
Female - on nest

eating grass 


Now its over to you for WBW 101!



50 comments:

  1. wow! i like their spotted plumage, tiny bills and big, thick pink legs! neat!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful goose. Love the plumage!! Has the plumage of a Mourning Dove.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love what mother nature does with monochromatic - look at all those beautiful feathers and shades!

    ReplyDelete
  4. A beautiful bird. I can't get over the short, stocky legs! Nature is amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Stewart. Thanks for sharing what I believe is still one of the worlds' rarest Geese that was close to extinction in the 1950's.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such a stunning bird! Lovely
    photos, ….. I've never seen The Cape Barren Goose before.

    Eva Jorunn Norway

    ReplyDelete
  7. They are beautiful birds, but hefty--I agree, I'm surprised they survived the colonization period! :-) They remind me of prehistoric birds in their form. Still, so lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Cool birds.

    Look like gigantic doves, with that gray plumage and pink legs.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow! They are big and beautiful! I've never seen one of these! Great captures for the day, Stewart! Hope your week is going well!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful birds. I like the soft grey colour.

    ReplyDelete
  11. OMW What BEAUTIFUL birds. Each image delivers another feature which is so striking. Thanks for sharing. I'm linking my post tomorrow. greetings. Jo

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great looking!! Boom, Bobbi and Gary.

    ReplyDelete
  13. It is rather a "chunky" beast but very attractive Stewart. And like you say it must have been a target for a square meal in the past. You don't say if this particular bird is truly wild, but if so is something of a "sitting goose" to further question its long term survival against man.

    Thanks again for the shares with the bird bloggers of the world.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What an interesting bird! I love the feathers on this goose. New bird for me as well.....again:)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Interesting looking bird. Nice photos!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Maybe they intimidated the colonists.

    ReplyDelete
  17. It is a pretty goose..I am surprised at the stocky legs.. Great shots..thanks for hosting. Have a happy week!

    ReplyDelete
  18. This is the first time I've heard of this one. A rather substantial bird and very stout legs!

    ReplyDelete
  19. They are a handsome, stocky looking goose. They don't quite look like the geese I am used to seeing, but there are some similarities. I do love their coloring ... the steely blue/gray. Are they common all over Australia or do you have to go to Phillip Island or Cape Barren Great pictures, Stewart ...

    Andrea @ From The Sol

    ReplyDelete
  20. What beautiful geese, I love their plumage.

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a pretty bird! Their markings are really neat.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow, what a fascinating, plush-looking goose! Excellent photos, Stewart.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Love the orange legs! They kind of match the orange legs of the doves I posted!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow, a 6KG Goose...bet that can give a painful nip.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Stewart I have never seen this goose before. It looks like its head is too small for its body. they are beautiful. Thanks for hosting. Hope you are having a great week.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hallo Stewart,
    Prachtige foto's van een interessant uitziende vogel.
    Foto 2 is mijn favoriet.
    Groetjes Irma

    ReplyDelete
  27. Chunky looking for sure. Meaty! It is a wonder they've survived early settlers.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Really like the spotts. They look like they would be soft to the touch. Beautiful critters!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Splendid birds! Wish we had 'flying cows' in SoCal.

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a pretty Goose. Red legs and polka-dots. MB

    ReplyDelete
  31. Great capture. Love the pink "stockings" too. A nice contrast to its color.

    ReplyDelete
  32. That is an amazing looking goose - almost looks like it is crossed with pigeon :). Great shots Stewart

    ReplyDelete
  33. The heathers on this goose look three dimensional in your first photo! It is so clear and detailed!!!...:)JP

    ReplyDelete
  34. Great photos. It is a stocky looking bird. The plumage is really pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Funny birds, the translated german name is chicken goose, maybe the translator understood something wrong. Nevertheless, a great bird and a great opportunity to observe them.

    ReplyDelete
  36. beautiful bird and plumage. hope all is well.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Their plumage really is quite beautiful. I love the way the feathers fall, almost like a Victorian lady's skirt!

    ReplyDelete
  38. She's a beauty. Her color and speckling remind me of our Mourning Dove.

    ReplyDelete
  39. He has an odd face... fun to see!

    ReplyDelete
  40. That is an amazing looking goose, not one I've heard of or seen pics of before, thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I love all pictures... All shots are just outstanding...

    ReplyDelete
  42. Great goosie, goosie, gander shots!

    ReplyDelete
  43. She looks so pretty sitting on her nest. They really do like to browse like cattle.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Great pictures Stewart. Really like the second one on the nest.

    ReplyDelete