IS IT a swan or or is it a goose?

Actually the new arrivals at a National Trust property are a cross between the two and are known as swoose.

It was an unlikely match, but the female swan at West Green House paired up with the male gander to produce two swoose - a cross between a goose and a swan.

Staff at the gardens, in Hartley Wintney, are delighted with the outcome after fearing the female swan would never find love. For years she has swum a solo course across the lake with elegant serenity, whilst not far away the shy male gander watched her from afar.

Mary Hamilton, marketing manager at West Green House, said: “Both parents are proud and happy and we are doing all we can to cherish our little aquatic offspring.”