I've got an itch !

These are the Cape Barren geese and they have the oddest heads I have ever seen. The common name for this bird is the 'pig goose' They are not native to New Zealand and their presence is thought to be from escaped or released captive birds. These large geese originate from Australia, and are from what I can find out are very scarce here (NZ) in the wild, but can be found in captivity. There wing span is almost 1 metre.
This pair have arrived at the lagoon, no idea if they've been here for a while or not.  Doug spotted them across the other side and I slowly walked towards them then just sat down and watched and photographed them.  I would have liked to be closer, but beggars can't be choosers. They mate for life and as there are two, perhaps we will see little ones in the future.
I've never seen them before so quite a thrill to find them in our neck of the woods.

Rainie