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Here we (I) go in 2015

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by adrian1963, 1 Jan 2015.

  1. adrian1963

    adrian1963 Well-Known Member

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    Here we go another year and as I have said before I want to try and see as many Eagles & Vultures as I can.

    Have you got any aims for this year and how would you achieve tem, my problem as stated before is I have to use public transport and over the last couple of weeks have been planning my trips so here we go with a list of places I will visit this year and how

    Dudley Zoo – Bus
    Birmingham nature centre – Bus
    Hagley Falconry Centre – Bus
    London Zoo – Train & walk
    Blackpool zoo – Coach and Taxi
    Bristol Zoo – Train & bus
    Cotswold Falconry Centre – Train & walk
    Birdland Park & Garden – Train & bus
    Slimbridge WWT – Coach
    Chester Zoo – Train & bus
    Cotswold Wildlife Park – With Family
    West Midlands Safari Park – With Family
    Twycross Zoo – Coach
    Hawk Conservancy Trust – Train, Bus & walk
    Liberty’s Raptor & Reptile Centre – With friends
    Warwick Castle Falconry – Coach
    Centre for Birds Of Prey – Coach & walk
    The Shorelands – With Friends

    Plus 4 Private collections (2 in Norfolk, 2 in the Midlands)

    My aim is to clock up at least 25 species of vulture and 35 species of eagle this year

    Will add other locations when I have more information from the collections as to whether they still hold the species they say on Zootierliste or not.

    All the ones visiting by Train or bus will be visited on a Saturday as it’s much cheaper to go by public transport on Saturdays (example Cradley Heath – London Marlebourne mon-fri return £128.00 sat £30.00)

    Add to this my days out with the Stourbridge RSPB group and other visits birding I hope to have a great time with my beloved bird species.

    Have a great year everyone and I hope you see what you have gone to see on your visits.

    So there are my plans for 2015 what will you be doing

    Have a great year everyone
     
  2. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  3. adrian1963

    adrian1963 Well-Known Member

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    Unfortunately I have heard many bad reports of this collection on other birding forums and chat sites and I have no or never will have any intensions of visiting this collection.
     
  4. sooty mangabey

    sooty mangabey Well-Known Member

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    The place may or may not be poor, but far from there being only one review on Trip Advisor, there are currently 204, of which 115 rank the place as excellent (not that I would necessarily trust the Trip Advisor verdict in a zoo....).
     
  5. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    That is good to know. I would like to visit Rocamadour one day for architectural photography and prior to this I would have gone to the raptor place since it is close. Now that I know birding forums give it a bad report I will stay away even if I do make it to the village.
     
  6. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    assuming this is true (the embolded bit) I wouldn't put any emphasis on it. Birding forums are not at all a good judge of captive facilities. The majority of members on Birdforum, for example, are actively anti-captivity for birds.
     
  7. adrian1963

    adrian1963 Well-Known Member

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    I have noticed that on Bird forum as I did post a picture once of a captive Golden eagle and the place went mad and the abuse I received through the pms was a little over the top.

    Must admit I do agree most bird forums do dislike any bird collection no matter who they are but I still read reports just to give me an idea about a visit if the collection is along distance away.
     
  8. adrian1963

    adrian1963 Well-Known Member

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    Hagley falconry review and species list in the zoo chat challenge 2015
     
  9. littleRedPanda

    littleRedPanda Well-Known Member

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    I don't know about public transport to The Raptor Foundation, near St Ives (Huntingdon), but it is worth a visit.
     
  10. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    The new comments beg the question, has any ZooChat member been to Rocher des Aigles?
     
  11. adrian1963

    adrian1963 Well-Known Member

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    That would be interesting to find out and maybe if they have could they put a reply on here so we can make our minds up.
     
  12. adrian1963

    adrian1963 Well-Known Member

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