A nursery by Alexandra Lake

There were twenty-one goslings altogether by Alexandra Lake on Wanstead Flats on 18th May - with one pair of Canada Geese; now that's impressive! It must be a creche, although there were no other interested possible parents nearby.

Incidentally, the Lesser Black-backed Gulls are patrolling Alexandra Lake and the Shoulder of Mutton Pond quite frequently, and with a lot of attacks particularly on cootlets. Looking at the small numbers of surviving goslings attached to some pairs of geese on Alexandra Lake, I suspect that these too are falling prey to predators. There are and for long have been foxes around, of course, but in my perception the Lesser Black-backs are a new addition.

In previous years, the Conservators of Epping Forest have culled the geese, but did not do so this year. Perhaps we are now seeing a more natural culling taking place. Let us hope that species such as Little Grebe fare better than the geese, Coots and, doubtless, Mallard.

Paul Ferris 19th May 2010