A small number of Egyptian Geese are regularly seen swimming the Lea between Cody Dock and Bow Locks.

These pale brown and grey birds have distinctive brown eye patches and were originally native to the Nile Valley and south of the Sahara in Africa. The Ancient Egyptians frequently featured these geese in their artworks as they considered them to be sacred animals.

In the 19th century Egyptian Geese were brought to Britain as ornamental wildfowl for country estates such as Holkham Hall in Norfolk. Over time some birds escaped and bred in the wild, so today the geese are commonly found across the east of England and London.