Introduction

Egyptian Geese have started to spring up along the Jersey Shore. They are not native to this area so it is thought that those we have here were originally escapees. I don't have enough information to know for sure that the three I saw in November 2014 are different from the birds I saw in January 2013. The pessimistic view is that these are three of the same four birds. That they are not breeding and are merely living out their lives in freedom.

First Encounter

In January 2013, I was standing on the bridge between Interlaken and Asbury Park looking east at an approaching flock of Red-breasted Mergansers when I noticed that four of the birds looked distinctly different from the others. These are the birds I saw:

I had no idea what they might be. Fortunately one of my Facebook friends recognized them.

Subsequent Sightings

In late November 2014, I heard that Egyptian Geese had been seen at Lake Takanassee in Long Branch. I decided to go look for them. However, I thought I'd check out Sunset Lake in Asbury Park on my way, and it was lucky that I did because the geese had moved there. I didn't see them as I drove along Sunset and turned on to Grand at the traffic light. I parked on Fifth Ave., and, aside from one Northern Shoveler and a couple of Mallards, all I could see was Canada Geese in quite large numbers. I walked around the lake and at the corner of Sunset and Grand, there were three Egyptian Geese. Two of them in the road. I shoo'd them to safer ground:

The birds seemed reluctant to get into the water:

But eventually, all three of them made it.

Though not exactly tame, they showed little fear of me and so I was able to get very close to them and take these close-ups of the heads of two of them.

I noticed that each of them had a brown mark on its chest. Here's a shot that shows that. I took this on the island in the western part of the lake that is reached using the steps down from the Grand Ave. bridge. I'd gone there looking for other birds but while I was there the three geese swam to the island and climbed on to the grass.