“Oh look at that goose!” I called out to Chris, “Hold on a second and I’ll get my camera out.”

Chris was very patient and didn’t mind stopping for me to take a few shots (I often have to stop and get out my camera when we are cycling). It was the end of the day and we were homeward bound on the cycle-path between Cockwood Harbour and Dawlish Warren. As you can see from the photographs, the goose wasn’t going to move from his spot on the fence where he was preening himself in the sunshine, not when we walked past with our bikes or even when I advanced with my mobile camera.

“That’s a funny looking goose – isn’t it?” I looked to Chris for confirmation (maybe he was a secret ornithologist or goose expert. Needless to say, I didn’t have my glasses on and Chris reckons his sight is good.)

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said. (Not a goose expert then or he actually needs glasses.)

“Hasn’t it got rather a short neck for a goose?” I persisted.

“I’m not so sure,” Chris answered (he should have gone to “Specsavers”).

“Look at his feet,” I suggested, “and those pink fleshy bits on his face. Surely he’s a duck?”

“Geese have webbed feet too,” observed Chris (as if I didn’t know that – even though I’m no expert), “but you’re right, it does look like one of those speciality ducks from Dawlish Brook. Or is it a goose?”

Well, since then I’ve looked on the Internet and found a list of the Dawlish waterfowl along with photographs; the list begins with a swan (not it at all), a Barnacle Goose (ouch!), Call Duck, Carolina Duck, Chinese Goose, Crested Duck, Egyptian Goose, Lesser White-Fronted Goose, Mandarin Duck (ah so), Moorhen (don’t be ridiculous – I knew it wasn’t that!), Pintail, Shelduck, Muscovy Duck, Teal, Tufted Duck and Whistling Duck (phew!)… and our feathered friend wasn’t amongst them. Perhaps he was just a visitor passing through.

There’s another thing that’s been bothering me – why is it that whenever Chris and I cycle to Cockwood Harbour the tide is always out? Just being a silly goose!