Toulouse geese in Exeter

I spent Christmas in Exeter and had a great time watching the Toulouse geese on the river Exe, which I visited several times.

On my first visit, a few of the geese were swimming along the river.  Below are three of the white geese.

There was a mixture of white and brown/grey geese in the water.

My next visit was in the morning on Christmas Day, when I came across a number of the geese waddling along the towpath at the edge of the river.

 I loved this pair of geese standing at the water's edge.

A group of the geese wandered across the path and waddled over the edge of the bank and into the water.

Two of the white geese marched across the towpath.

This small group spent some time admiring the grassy bank at the other side of the path.

This large brown Toulouse goose looks as though it is preparing to hold the carol service later in the day at Exeter Cathedral.  The young Herring gull looked rather bemused at the whole gathering and stared out across the river.

I love these large fat geese waddling slowly along the towpath.

This photograph shows a close-up of the head and neck of one of the geese.  I think it actually looks rather pretty!

This white goose has attitude!

Then the geese decided they had done enough waddling around and they all got into the river and swam off.

Christmas Eve - Toulouse geese in Exeter

This Christmas I went with a group of friends to Exeter and on Christmas Eve, went for a morning walk with some of them.  We went down to the Quay and walked along the River Exe as far as the first bridge, where we crossed over the river and then walked back to the Quay.  At the end of the walk I was sitting with three of my friends outside a cafe overlooking the river.  My coffee had just arrived when I saw a group of white domestic geese on the river, so I grabbed my camera and left my coffee to go cold while I took some photos.

There were also some geese with brown feathers and, when I got back home after Christmas, I looked them up on the internet.  I believe that they were Toulouse geese.

This pair look very snooty - swimming along with their beaks in the air.

 Before lunch on Christmas Day I went back down to the river with a friend.  This time the geese were having a Christmas party on the towpath.  They were honking and honking and honking and honking!

This pair looked like a courting couple.  They were getting quite friendly and, maybe, exchanging Christmas kisses.  Where's the mistletoe?

Their friends were giving admiring glances to the river.

Other friends were more keen on the grassy bank.

Here are two goose-stepping white geese!

I love the pose of this big fat goose-stepping goose.  I thought he looked like a vicar getting ready to read the Christmas sermon.

The congregation came waddling along the towpath.

Some of the geese then decided to go for a swim.

This goose was not sure what I was up to, crouching down by it.  It gave me the evil eye before waddling off to join its friends in the water.

I got another unfriendly stare from this big white goose.  I have never seen this type of goose before, so I was quite thrilled.  It made a nice change from the hundreds of mute swans that are found on the river Exe in Exeter.

Eventually most of the gang jumped into the river and swam off - probably heading somewhere exciting for Christmas lunch.