Over the last two days I visited 5 collections in the South East of England. 3 of these collections are well covered on ZooChat, the other 2 are a little less visited, but since it was my first visit to all 5 I thought I'd post my thoughts and some anecdotes from the trip. Let's get started with a bit of back story and zoo number 1... Pre-amble After an early start I made my way across Birmingham to meet up with my companions for the weekend (@FunkyGibbon and @devilfish who shall from now on be referred to as Funky and Df!). I arrived at our meeting point early so killed some time wondering around Dorridge, which wasn't exactly exciting. At 8 am Funky arrived, and five minutes later our chariot pulled up... Worth pointing out that me and Funky travelled quite a distance, Df only had to come from round the corner. Guess who was late? After finally meeting Funky, greeting Df and putting bags into the car we were off to my first new zoo. Linton Zoo We arrived at Linton a little after opening so the place was relatively quiet for a Saturday, good job really because the site isn't overly large. At Linton my main/only targets were the Eastern quolls and wallaroo, I got one of my target species and one had left the collection. Not to worry though, there were going to be lots of rarities later that day. After entering we made our way to the reptile house, which was decidedly home made, a theme for the whole collection actually. The reptiles on show were common fare, to give you a sense of how "meh" the collection is then one of the highlights are a pair of bearded dragons... But I wasn't there for such common fare, I wanted marsupial goodness, so we made our way to the quolls. I saw 2 balls asleep in pipes, not great but good enough to count. With quolls done we ambled around the collection and killed time whilst awaiting the arrival of @ShonenJake13 and @MagpieGoose and it has to be said, it's not impressive and in fact one exhibit is appalling, that being the snow leopard enclosures. If I was feeling generous these enclosures may be adequate for something the size of a Geoffroy's cat or similar but for snow leopards they are awful. Other cats are lions and tigers in adequate paddocks, with the lions due a massive upgrade soon. Not sure why they've been fast tracked but the snow leopards should have had something done first. After Jake and MG arrived (both of whom it was a pleasure to meet.) I was crushed to find out the wallaroo had left... Oh well, never mind. So we proceeded around the zoo looking at various birds, including pale-billed aracari (rarity) and a Southern hornbill/green turaco mix (huge aviary) as highlights, and the zoos two species of hoofstock (lowland tapirs and mountain zebras) which are housed well, in fact the zebra paddock is probably the same size as the rest of the collection. After Jake and MG had left to pick up some other ZooChatters we made our way to the entrance, where we bumped into @pipaluk, who is also a great guy, and we chatted about binturong babies, quolls, and Hamerton before bidding him farewell. Then it was off to the collection that was irrefutably the highlight of the weekend, Hamerton...
Thanks for the write-up - has reassured me that I was justified in skipping Linton this year as the only significant change since last year seems to be the departure of the wallaroo. No mention of White-collared Lemur (unique on show in the UK)? Assume they're still about?
@Maguari the lemurs were there, on-show, and active but I was more focused on the quolls. I do have some poor photos of the lemurs but not Zoochat quality, just record shots. And you probably made the right call skipping Linton, apparently nothing major has changed in years. The zebra paddock and hornbill aviary are exceptional though, well worth seeing once.
I'll be back at some point, I'm sure - but the extra drive and the entrance fee didn't quite justify themselves two years running. Compare with Hamerton's four visits in 12 months..!
Originally our itinerary included a stop at Shepreth, but after spending longer at Linton than anticipated, and owing to the fact this was my first Hamerton visit, we skipped it. After doing a drive-through McDonalds run we were good to head onto our next stop, which coincidentally happened to be where the 2019 IZES meeting was being held. Hamerton I've been looking forward to this visit since joining ZooChat many years ago and finding out just how special the collection of rarities is. After 2(?) failed attempts to get here previously (including last years meeting) I finally arrived at 13.35 on the 3rd of August 2019. I got asked two questions quite frequently at Hamerton; Did it live up to your expectations? Yes, most definitely; And where's your beer? Hamerton doesn't sell beer. But in all seriousness, it lived up to, and even exceeded, my expectations. I had an amazing run of luck with most of my target species (Damn you jackals and golden-morph possums!), which was partly helped by Hamerton veteran @Maguari who did my first full loop with me and pointed out a lot of the trickier species and their hiding spots. Species highlights included the quolls, wombats, barking owls, grisons, civets, Malayan tigers, dingos, hopping mice... The list goes on and on for this place. Enclosure wise the highlight is most definitely the Outback Aviary, "wild type" budgies and zebra finches along with masked lapwings (who were eating ants, quite cool to see) and viewing into the brush-tailed possum and wombat enclosures. Really very nice. The cheetah, maned wolf tiger enclosures were all pretty standard, but the corsac foxes also had a paddock of comparable size which was great to see, especially since they have a fair few of those tiny canids. I'm struggling to think of anything negative to say. I suppose the reptile house is a bit small but, it has a really nice selection of species. Same could be said for the classroom/function room, but again some pretty choice species in there as well. Unexpected highlight of the day was 3 pairs of squirrel gliders, just like sugar gliders but if they were proper gym fanatics who never skipped leg day. Amazing little beasties I was thoroughly impressed with Hamerton, and the fact there were so many zoo enthusiasts definitely added to the enjoyment of the day. I'm not going to list everyone who helped make it a brilliant visit but I would like to say a big thank you to @Tim Brown, @MikeG and @Andrew Swales for organising the meeting. I genuinely can't wait to get back. Next up, trials and tribulations, an unexpected "party" and a less well known collection...
A Brief Interlude & An Unknown Quantity After Hamerton me and Funky were stuck for a lift back into Peterborough, then in stepped the legend that happened to be @cliffxdavis who gave us a lift to our (unusually placed) hotel. I'm very grateful for that, it was a long bloody walk or a costly taxi ride otherwise. Anyway, after watching Jurassic World (and criticising the shoddy workmanship on the aviary! ) Funky headed to bed whilst I went outside to make some phone calls and have a smoke. Whilst outside I befriended a young couple who decided to ply me with vodka and cola. I went to bed at 1.30 am in quite good spirits. We both got up at around 6 in the morning, got ready and headed to meet Df at his hotel. Upon arriving we were treated to a very nice breakfast buffet in the company of two of the IZES big guns, Tim, Linda and Mike. We chatted and ate for around an hour before we all went our separate ways, more zoos to visit and no time for food. Suffolk Owl Sanctuary This was a short visit, but it was a worthwhile diversion. The collection is heavy on owls obviously but does have a few other bird species on display, along with meerkats (yawn) and a nice set of interconnected enclosures for (unseen) red squirrels. Highlights were Chaco owl, steppe eagle, hooded vulture, yellow-headed caracara, and Mackinder's eagle owl. A fair few birds were kept tethered in the traditional manner whilst others had reasonable aviaries and a bit of space to flap around. I'm not sure how I feel about tethered birds of prey but this place pumped you full of information about how the birds get plenty of sun but are positioned to avoid the worst heat of the day. I also found out that where they are kept during opening hours is not the mews, the mews are where they go to sleep. I don't really have much else to say about this place, but it was a pleasant enough distraction for an hour or so. If you're in the area it's worth a look, and if you get chance then there's also a pet shop a few doors down that had some interesting herps and fish but I'm damned if I can remember any of the species now. Next up, another little visited collection...
Quite good is definitely pushing it, it was supermarket own brand vodka and cola, ASDA if I recall correctly! But I'm not one to turn down an impromptu p*ss up outside on a mild summer's evening!
Well, quite but the joke wouldn't have worked if I didn't mimic your original statement. Mind you, personally I reckon there is no such thing as good vodka!
I agree, most vodka tastes the same and the cheaper ones taste like what I imagine paint thinner tastes like!
Then you haven't tried Ethiopian gin. The only thing that stuff was good for was storing my insect samples...
After leaving the Owl Sanctuary we had two more stops to make, one of the biggest zoos in the UK and a relative newcomer to the zoo scene. We went to the smaller and newer collection first as it was only 25 minutes away. Jimmy's Farm Getting to this place without SatNav would probably be quite difficult as it's very poorly signed in places, and it's about half a mile up a single lane road which would be quite easy to miss. Upon arrival you can see the Bactrian camel paddock from the car park, and after getting out of the car it's your typical farm shop, butchers, cafe, and the entrance to the zoo. Upon walking in you can see a lot of the site from the entrance, and it all looks very "farm park-y" if that makes sense, simple paddocks and domestics abound. But in the distance we saw a capybara and, no word of a lie, the capybara enclosure is spectacular. You can't see how far it goes back because of the dense vegetation but it's substantial, and the 3(?) capybara have a small lake to swim in. Truly stunning. Likewise, the pair of Brazilian tapir have a lush and large enclosure which makes spotting said tapirs nigh on impossible unless they're in the house or pool. Ironically we all thought that the tapir inhabited a plain paddock until we realised just which side of the house the door was on. Another unexpected surprise. Next up we visited the butterfly house, which didn't look pretty from the outside but was quite nice inside. Well I think it was, it was that humid that me and Funky spent most of the time wiping condensation of our glasses. It was reasonably stocked with wide pathways, the best butterfly house of the day. (Stay tuned for thoughts on the other one later!) Next up, the tropical house. Again, really not aesthetically pleasing, being a white tunnel, and first impressions aren't great with the first exhibit being a small and under furnished common boa enclosure. Not brilliant! Then you enter the house proper to be confronted by a myriad of budgies, cockatiels, and canaries. Allegedly there are also turacos but we didn't see any. There is an enclosure in the middle of the house for tortoises and a large enclosure at the back of the house features Morelet's crocodiles, which may or may not have been sitting on eggs. Upon leaving there is another exhibit similar to the boa one mentioned above, but for black and white Tegu instead. The tropical house is nothing special, and the stocking levels and species could do with a bit of a look. The rest of the place is very much a paint by numbers, kid-friendly attraction. Australian Walkthrough (Bennett's wallaby and emu)? Check. Domestics contact area? Check. Meerkats (In a spacious enclosure)? Check. Over-sized play area/trampoline thing? Check. Obviously we just glanced at these things in passing and headed up, past the (unseen) skunks and up to the coati and raccoon enclosures. Both were okay but again, nothing special. The coatis did have access to natural trees whilst the raccoons had a decent climbing frame. On our way out we perused the farm shop, Funky and Df decided to try a rare breeds sausage roll each whilst I brought a local ale. I finished my beer, neither of them finished the sausage rolls......... Up next, the big gun and finale to the mini trip!
Colchester Zoo After our impromptu lunch at Jimmy's we jumped back in the car for another short jaunt down to the county of Essex and the last and biggest collection of the weekend. Colchester isn't like the other collections I visited because this place is an ABC heavy zoo, with a decent herp collection. We won't mention birds though as that's where the collection falls down, other than some birds of prey, ratites, cranes and flamingos there isn't much here. The western village weavers (Ploceus cucullatus cucullatus) were a nice surprise though. The mammal collection is top notch and housed in enclosures ranging from quite good to outstanding, with one or two exceptions that I'll come back to. Best of the best have to be the sun bear enclosure and new chimp exhibit. The sun bears have a large and steep exhibit containing a well stocked pool, complete with underwater viewing. Unfortunately I only saw a bear from the lower viewing area and it stayed at the top whilst I marvelled at the gorgeous exhibit. The chimp exhibit outside is also extremely well done, being a cage that must be 40 feet in height, but all the chimps chose to stay inside. The indoor quarters are quite spacious with straw on the floor but my highlight in there was a single slender-snouted crocodile in a roomy exhibit with a mixture of sand and concrete as substrate and a deep pool. Other exceptional exhibits included most of the monkey enclosures, being mostly well planted (gelada being the exception) and quite large. The elephant house and paddock were decent but we were surprised to see one of the females being scrubbed down in free-contact! Kingdoms Of The Wild (the mixed African paddock) wasn't as spacious as I expected but maneless zebra (Equus quagga borensis) were nice to see, mixed with white rhino, kudu, ostrich and crowned cranes. The giraffes were kept inside for some reason, and I personally don't think the paddock is large enough for all six species at the same time. Mammal highlights (for me) included smooth-coated otters, blue duikers, southern tamandua and bearded saki, with the sun bear enclosure being the true highlight. Herps are scattered throughout the zoo rather than in traditional houses and I quite liked the approach, possibly helped by some stunning enclosures. I've never seen bigger exhibits for Fiji banded iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus) or green tree monitor (Varanus prasinus), absolutely massive in comparison to the species held. The various fish tanks throughout the zoo (both fresh and marine) are all stunningly presented with a nice collection held to boot. I've been quite positive so far but Colchester does have some flaws, lack of birds being most notable. Enclosure-wise the pygmy hippos seem quite short changed in the space department outside, and the lion enclosure is pitifully furnished with an unusually small extension attached not being much help. The other lowlight was all the dead ends, I was expecting them but it was still annoying to walk down a path only to have to walk back up looking at the car park on the other side of the fence. I also found a lot of enclosures to be quite densely planted, in some cases to the detriment of the viewing. I'm thinking of the tiger enclosure in particular as it was hard to get clear views at times. I wasn't prepared for how hilly it was either even though I was warned beforehand, my attitude was "I'm a Dudley regular, I ain't bothered about a little hill!" No-one told me I needed to get my mountain climbing gear out! There's so much here that I haven't mentioned but is great, the sea lion exhibit, the tigers, the l'Hoests/hyrax enclosure... There's a lot to enjoy here, even the mock rock isn't as noticeable once you're there. After this post I'll do a summary post and rank (imo) the five collections.
A couple of corrections: IMO the Butterfly House wasn't well stocked; I've been to much busier (as in more butterflies) places. Also, it can't be emphasised enough how humid it was; not only could I not see, but I was dripping sweat after five minutes in there. I got the pork, apple and mustard roll, not the rare breed one. It wasn't great, but I did finish it.
It was terribly humid, I didn't manage any photos because of the afore-mentioned condensation and I really wanted to get out into the heat of the sun, it was far more bearable. Still better stocked than Colchester's p*ss poor excuse for a butterfly house... (Which I forgot to mention!) Did you manage to get to the end? I know devilfish kept stopping to pick bits of gristle out of his! I'm truly glad I skipped the culinary delights and just had a beer!
The End Of A Great Weekend After hanging around Colchester until nearly closing time, hunting for frogs for Funky's 2019 Global Challenge list, we were rewarded with some great views of the tamandua which was a great way to finish off the visit. After battling the throngs in the gift shop we made it to the car and dropped Funky at Colchester Station for the next leg of his journey, possibly he'll be chronicling it on Zoochat...? We said our goodbyes and headed back to Birmingham. After arriving in Dorridge me and devilfish said our goodbyes, I took my Marks & Spencers own brand ale (4 quid for a 330ml can! ), got on the train and thought to myself "what a fantastic trip!". I arrived home at around 1am, exhausted but happy. A Summary After visiting I can honestly say that Hamerton was the highlight of the weekend, great species, some nice enclosures and lots of great company. To be fair I had great company all weekend, I just had so much company at Hamerton! Colchester was great to visit, a great collection and nice exhibits, but the lack of birds and the constant dead ends are definite negatives. The other three collections are all a little less great in comparison, but all had their plus points. Linton has the quolls, that zebra paddock and the hornbill aviary. Suffolk has a nice collection with a few less common species but I'm not to keen on seeing tethered birds of prey. Very nice set of red squirrel runs though. And finally Jimmy's Farm had a very lacklustre collection (bar the crocodiles) but exceptionally nice enclosures for Brazilian tapirs and capybaras, a real surprise. So that concludes my first ever trip report and my first ever zoo reviews on ZooChat. It's only taken me eight years to do it... @TeaLovingDave this how you do a concise and quick write-up, and I've even managed to finish it as well! A big thank you to everyone who made the weekend great, but special thanks to @devilfish and @FunkyGibbon for being great travelling companions, special thanks to @cliffxdavis for his help getting us back into Peterborough, a special mention to the IZES staff for organising the meeting and for having breakfast with us on the Sunday, and an extra special mention to @snowleopard because your thread was a big talking point over the weekend, and it was good talk! I'm not going to mention everyone individually but if you were there then thank you for making it a great weekend, it was fantastic to see so many familiar faces and meet some new ones as well! If you managed it then thanks for getting to the end.
@Brum, Just right for a lunch time read and to close out the work problems for a short while. Nice one!
Thanks, I'm glad it's gone down quite well. Maybe I'll do another report, it probably won't take me another 8 years though!
