StoneRoad2013's photos with the keyword: geese

Two out of three ain't bad ... ... the domestic geese that grace the harbour at Whitehaven, by breed they appear to be domestic "white" geese, but they live wild - and mow the harbourside grass !

One of the historic features / traditions in Whitehaven is, apparently, the presence of two or three geese in the harbour, sometimes mixed in with the swans. [they do wander a short distance away at times, but the local dogs & children soon learn not to annoy them !]. The previous group included a grey feathered one, however, all of this three are standard white domestics ... I will attempt to find out the real background story ...

Looking eastwards from the site of the State Apartments [Inner Court] to the remains of the Outer Court's curtain wall. Just this side of the geese is a dip in the ground, this marks the site of the moat that separated the two "Courts".

This small flock of geese were patrolling the grassed areas, something that they do regularly [judging by the frequently encountered droppings], as I watched them moving about I noticed that there was always at least one bird watching rather than eating ... . That's the ruins of the wall surrounding the outer court behind them, and the dip in front marks the line of the moat that separated the outer and inner courts.

This is quite rare, the two geese (a greylag and a domestic) normally stay well clear and are rarely seen on the water, but came for some bread (fresh, and ate less than a slice between them), some of the greedy gulls nicked the rest. They are definitely the "odd couple" of the marina. It was almost dark, so the image is a bit blurred by their movements.

This odd couple are a fixture around the marina in Whitehaven. The white (domestic) one has a reputation for aggression, but recently seems to have calmed down.