Sentinel

From the doorway of my writing den I can watch the ducks and geese in the field next door. The other day I saw a fox make a rush for the flock, only to be chased off by Big Daddy here, who stands guard constantly. (In this shot Mother Goose is watching out in the other direction; more often she is walking around the flock, which currently includes young geese as well as the ducks, checking that all is well and that there are no stragglers.)

A goose's field of vision overlaps to a small extent - less than a bird of prey, but more than most birds who look from the side rather than the front. Their vision is acute and they notice movement well, even at a distance.