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pasture, with enough scattered trees for nesting. By 1994, there were 1,340 breeding pairs and by 2010 there were 10,000, with an estimated winter population of 45,000 birds. Almost the whole country hosts Egyptian Geese and it has reached saturation point. The bird’s empire now reaches other parts of Europe, too. It breeds in France, Belgium, Germany and Denmark, with a total population for the whole of Western Europe estimated at 26,000 pairs, including the British birds. Incidentally, it has also colonised a few parts of America, too, such as Florida, Texas and California and, rather strangely, Arkansas. But having been in Britain for centuries, and northern Europe for 50 years, why is it doing so well just now? Nobody knows for certain, although there are clues. In the early years it was known that breeding Egyptian Geese suffered very low levels of productivity. They sometimes nested too early in the year, in the middle of winter, resulting in high mortality of eggs and chicks, and few pairs produced more than a single offspring. Cold winters also killed off adults. However, a study in 2010 showed that the Dutch population seems to have adapted to these snags. The birds have a breeding season lasting six months, and the onset of incubation is delayed if the winter weather is severe. Having adjusted for weather, the birds then go on to take advantage of the long days of summer. In fact, in the Netherlands at least, they are more productive than they are in Africa. Could the birds have caught on to this in Britain at last? Or are the Dutch birds of better stock? Egyptian Geese are equally at home in a British lake or an African waterhole Beneath the ‘drab’ surface, there are hidden colours, such as the iridescent speculum in the wing SPECIES FACTFILE