Birds of Central Park New York, the Canada Goose

I didn't have long in New York's Central Park when I visited in April 2016, but managed to find a few birds just by wandering around and trying to find a quiet spot away from joggers, walkers and cyclists.

This Canada Goose was sitting on the nest enjoying the spring sun beside the lake near the jogging path in Central Park. 

Once considered an icon bird, the reputation of the Canada Goose has taken a hammering in the last 20 years. Because it is breeding so rapidly, it is now considered a pest.

Yet, I can recall the excitement of first hearing a flock of geese honking in the distance and then witnessing that V-formation passing overhead. That was many years ago, in the early Spring around Ottawa in Canada.

The Canada Goose has even turned up here in Australia; a few appeared on the New South Wales coast in 2007. The were added to the list of Australia's pest species.