Chester Zoo Chester Zoo 2017

A visit to Chester, 9th April 2017. The zoo was very busy, with 13,000 visitors admitted by 1 pm, two thousand up on the attendance the previous day.

The new Rainbow Aviaries are very impressive and the following species are on show.

Lady Amherst's Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae)
Collared Grosbeak (Mycerobas affinis)
Reeves' Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii)
Vietnamese Pheasant (Lophura hatinhensis) - now regarded as a morph of Edwards' pheasant.
Grey-winged blackbird (Turdus boulboul)
Red-tailed Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron milnei)
Cabot's Tragopan (Tragopan caboti)
Temminck's Tragopan (Tragopan temminickii)
Grey-cheeked Liocichla (Liocichla omiensis)
Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (Garrulax courtoisi)
Collared Partridge (Arborophila gingica)

All the species apart from the grosbeak has bred at the zoo.

I asked for a map at the zoo entrance and also received a small map of the new childrens' activities. Lots of coloured lines and footprints have appeared on the zoo paths. Sack racing was taking place on the lawn by the dwarf mongooses, and a sandpit has been constructed at the southern end of Glorious Grasses. However if you want to make sandcastles, you will have to bring your own water.

The spare female lowland anoa has returned to the rhino section and is on show in the former Philippine Spotted Deer paddock.

A queuing system was in operation at the giraffe house, a lot of interest was shown in the latest baby.

Kotsovato cichlids are now in the Okapi house despite being endemic to Madagascar, with the elephant trunkfish and butterfly barbs now in the aquarium.

No more work has been done on the old cassowary enclosure.

Ophidia tried to obtain refreshment from three drinks machines, none of which were plugged in.

The new enclosure in Tropical Realm is finished and currently awaiting its new occupant.

No one saw the blue-legged mantellas, what a surprise.

RORA has some new species, Common Crows in with the Reticulated Pythons,and before all you birders wonder how this mix works, this common crow is a butterfly (Euploea care).

Chameleon Forest Dragons are now living with the black-breasted Leaf turtles, I obtained my first photos of this species.

Tuan's new enclosure is boarded up and looks quite a mess as you enter. Not a very good first impression.

In the first invert viv are Madagascan Golden Silk Spiders (Nephils inaurata madagascariensis)

While at the junction with the bats bridge and the path up to the camels and onagers I was trying to avoid a toddler running amock and while doing so fell over a second toddler running amock. The dad gave me a look as if to imply that it was my fault. I don't think most parents ever learn.

 

Sounds like a ok day, Lady Amherst's are defiantly in the aviaries within the last week (So too are the Vietnamese) as neither Jake or Magpie mentioned them in their accounts from the day they first saw the aviaries stocked.

 

I didn't know things at Chester Zoo changed so quickly! 9 days since my last visit and aswell as a baby orangutan and giraffe calf a couple of other things have also happened:
-Roti Island Snake-Necked Turtle (Chelodina mccordi) are now in Elephants of the Asian Rainforest in the 'vivarium'
-Along with the pheasants mentioned by bongorob, a pair of Asian Fairy Birds are in the new Rainbow Aviaries
-Long-Legged Hermit Crab (Clibanarius longitarus) are now in the mudskipper tank
-Keyhole Anglefish (Centrotype tibicen), Bicolour Anglefish (Centrotype bicolor), Tomini Surgeon (Ctenocheatus tominiensis), Tomato Clownfish (Amphiprion frenatus) and Valentin's Sharpnose Puffer (Paraluteres prionurus) have been put in an aquarium tank
-Red-Billed Blue Magpie are now signed in the Nissin Hut
-The Luzon-Breeding Heart Dove were nesting
-The Lady Amherst's Pheasant male was trying to mount his partner but with little luck

 

Given how long people have been running zoos I'm surprised how poor the design of visitor areas can be. The gharial area is a good example. The jaguars another. And why oh why can't they design glass-fronted enclosures that give you a view of the animals rather than your own face and the people behind you!

 

Which birds are the two new species of pheasant and the fairy bluebirds sharing with?

And where is the Nissin Hut?

 

The Lady Amherst and Fairy Bluebird are with the Temminck's Tragopan. The Vietnamese is with the Grey-Winged Blackbird. The Nissin Hut is between the Bush Dogs and Lions.

 

The red-billed magpie from the owl aviaries has gone.

 

The viewing area for the false gharial is the worst designed exhibit in the zoo, it is chaos in the summer and not much better at other times, nevertheless I have had endless fun watching people trying to get buggies in there when anyone with half a brain can clearly see they won't fit.

Very poor design from Chester.

 

Good to see that the tank in the elephant house is now home to an interesting species. Also we at least have another song bird in the aviaries! Though this one is on show already oh well it's better than another pheasant!

 

Excellent episode of Secret Life of the Zoo last night to end the latest series (where did that go!?). I was really pleased to see the Golden Mantella frogs feature, as I was rather taken with them on my visit last year. However the programme implied that they were housed off-show... is this an additional group, or have they been removed from display?

 

They were still on-show yesterday, so probably an additional group

 

Thanks - I was hoping that was the case! Still in the Tropical Realm near the door leading to the Aye-Ayes I assume?

 

Yes, between the Dart Frogs (plus Antiguan Anole) and Blue-Legged Mantella

 

Nothing but is was advertised as a song bird aviary not a pheasant one.

 

Back into the old gibbon cage apparently, as MagpieGoose mentioned. Yesterday I noticed that the sign was back and so was the magpie. They're still signed by the elephants too, but I couldn't see them in there.

 

I saw the individual in the Elephant house, so it's still in there

 

By the way, it's Nissen.

And I'm not sure it is.

But it's the shape of a Nissen Hut.

 

I wish the blue-legged mantellas were as easy to see as the golden mantellas.