Newspaper columnist claims introduced Egyptian Geese may be 'stealing' nest sites from Barn Owls

                                                             

A family of Egyptian Geese - these birds were snapped in the grounds of the Sandringham estate where they used to be watched by the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip 

A COLUMNIST in The Daily Telegraph newspaper has claimed fast-spreading Egyptian Geese, an 'alien' species,  may be  "stealing" nests from Barn Owls.

Matt Ridley writes: "Egyptian Geese can be territorial and like to nest in holes in trees, so they steal owl boxes from barn owls."

In his article, the writer reflects on other introduced species such as Ruddy Ducks and Ring-necked Parakeets, suggesting that the latter have been detected attacking noctule bats in Spain.

Mr Ridley also makes an interesting - and perhaps arguable - comment about competition between native Greylag Geese and Canada Geese.  

"Where I live, the Canada Geese population has collapsed under competitive pressure from native Greylag Geese," he writes. "The Greylag retreated to the Hebrides in the mid-20th Century but has come back strong, driving Canada Geese away from favoured nest sites and is now a pest eating the grass intended for sheep."

Returning to the Egyptian Goose, the author concludes: "I am told Egyptian Geese make for an excellent game bird and are widely hunted in their native native environs."  

Matt Ridley's lively (and contentious) article in The Daily Telegraph