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I have
had several responses, both on and off the chat line,
to
the posting below and feel I should summarise them.
With
thanks to John Cummings and Philip Veerman and special thanks to Kathy
Stapleton It would appear my original description fitted two
different flocks on the river.
There was
not only a paddling of ducks
but also a gaggle ( and on occasions a skein
)of geese.
First the
ducks (quoting Kathy) : They are
Muscovies.
The male
muscovy has extensive 'warting' on top of the beak and around the eyes.
This
increases with age. The female has a smooth red 'skin' between the beak and
eye.
  
There was
also mallards and Pekin Ducks present at different times over the last
weekend..
The
Geese:
There may be some disagreement (probably
simply in nomenclature) on the geese though all agree these are geese.
Several of the birds (including one pure white one)had that
bump
Philip : These are geese. Domestic
forms derived from Greylag Goose.
Kathy: They
are definitely geese (their honk is a dead giveaway).
I'd never heard of crested geese - but
that's what they are
(I subsequently found photos on the web). The crest is
not sex linked
roger curnow
From: roger
curnow [
Sent: Thursday, 21 July 2005 7:00
AM
To: COG
Subject: [canberrabirds] feral
ducks
On the river in downtown Queanbeyan there are some
magnificent feral ducks (geese ?),
mostly white ones, but some grey and
whites. Can someone identify them for me
please.
Are the ones with 'nobs" on their heads
males?
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