Sheldgeese.
I've a penchant for Sheldgeese all year round, not just for their characters (they can be a touch vacuous at times) but for their behaviours. These glorious southern hemisphere beauties have a kick-ass attitude to rival anyone and anything!
The Ashy-head (ruddy too) has the single best feature I have ever seen on waterfowl... their elegant long legs are multi-tonal! From the back they are pure orange, and from the front they are pure black! I just love their insane attention to detail; from the striped white tipped feathers on their flanks, to the graduated descent from auburn to silver on their backs. They truly are a beautiful bird. Having bred our first 3 in 6 years, my poor old female promptly passed away this spring at the ripe old age of 14 (good fertility considering!) Gladly she has passed on the flame finally in the form of a stonking male heir to match our new unrelated female. And so the struggle for Ashy-head fertility continues...
The Orinoco are no less gorgeous. With those characteristic long orange legs and ruddy tones, their appeal lies mostly in their expression. That soft buttery 'melt in the mouth' eye is just so characterful and calculating. They more than any of the other sheldgeese make the most of their feather make up to increase their pomp and size. With a mere neck extension and deep inhalation, the male Orinoco can almost double in size from a resting position. They have the most wonderful display posture. Although similar in movement to other sheldgeese, somehow the reverse head thrust and march is more impressive when coming from their softer stature. Last but not least, they mutually preen each other almost hourly, with a smug little smile and a whole heap of love, from mums and dads through the 10 juveniles we bred last year. Sweet!
All of these glorious sheldgoose species, including the Greater Magellans below, were bred at Slimbridge in 2012. In 2013 I would like to add to WWT breeding successes with the gorgeous Ruddy-headed goose. Watch this space!
