Sunday, 9 May 2010

Cuckoo Goose?!

The pictures here speak for themselves. This Mallard was sitting on a nest which contained 3 unusually large eggs and 12 normal eggs, and here's what hatched. It looks like a Greylag gosling. Just how this has happened is a real mystery. The nest was on a small island in a 3 acre lake. Any ideas?



The island in the lake
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5 comments:

  1. Bungling Birder10 May 2010 at 00:00

    I watched Attenborough's Life of Birds recently and it showed a very similar event. Can't remember the 'donor' bird but when the egg hatched, instead of behaving like a Cuckoo chick it did as yours seems to be doing. Then when it was able to fend for itself it simply swam away. I'll have to re-watch the dvd to see what it was!

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  2. Unknown10 May 2010 at 11:41

    This happen at Holywell Pond the other year, although Greylags layed eggs in Canada Goose nest, they have been known to do it, like the cuckoo.

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  3. dafi11 May 2010 at 10:08

    It certainly looks like a greylag but i am no expert. I think as bungling birder says you will have to watch as it develops. I would think this one will be off as soon as it develops. i cant imagine that it will imprint an believe it is a mallard as it grows. Holywell birder has a good pointer. If it has been known to happen before it may well be another occurence!! I would post it on birdforum.net and ask for an opinion.....you may get a few from there though!!...interesting stuff!!

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  4. Unknown11 May 2010 at 15:45

    Just to add, this particular time, the Greylag matured and hung around, mostly staying in company of Canada geese, even though winter populations of Greylag had moved in.

    Cain

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  5. Tim Sexton11 May 2010 at 18:01

    Thanks for the feedback. I will be back there again soon and will let you know 'what' develops.

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