If you’re wondering what this is about, catch the video here.
I flipped through a Sibley guide at the local book nook here on Block Island and found a possible hit. Then as soon as I had internet, I Googled “Egyptian Goose” and all was made clear. Shown here is the image from the Wikipedia article, courtesy of Andreas Trepte.

Apparently, our little guests are an import model. Must’ve escaped from some zoo or wild animal collector, or perhaps they belong to someone on the island who knows they’re not going to LEAVE the island. In any case, they’re fairly common creatures… in Africa. In New England, they’re about as rare as a properly pronounced R.

This is quite possibly the coolest thing I’ve found on this island yet. For more info, read the full article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Goose

Update: Found ‘em! The answer’s right here.

Okay, I found these little grass-munchers outside our motel room for the last several days. I’ve never seen anything like them before, some kind of ducks or geese. My problem is that I can’t find their species online, and I left my Sibley guide back in Boston! Arrgh!

Anyone think they can help me figure out what the heck these things are?

Name That Duck (Download Video)