Nowhere appropriate to post this so have started a new thread. The King Penguins are now all in moult and in heavy courtship mode, expecting the first eggs in the next 2-4 weeks, will keep you posted We will be recieving 10 fertile Greater Flamingo eggs from Slimbridge for hand rearing towards the end of April. This came about from the Flamingo Focus Group meeting early in the year. The Tropical House renovation continues at a pace. Instead of being a walkthrough house as in the past, this will now include exhibits for invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptile and mammals...oh and of course birds . The theme for the building is the egg so other features will include incubators, hand rearing videos, nest box cameras etc New arrivals include 8 Humboldt Penguins from Newquay (all 08 birds), a female Red Billed Toucan from Broxbourne, a Blue & Gold Macaw from the National Parrot Sanctuary, Violaceous Touraco & Red Crested Cardinal from private breeders and a pair of Balis from Chester On the nesting side the Turtle Doves have hatched their first chick of the year. The Humboldts, Crowned Plovers and Blue Magpies are on eggs and the Trumpeter Hornbills are 'mudding' in If people would like, I will try and post photos of any Penguin/Flamingo chicks as they develop? Fingers crossed for a bumper year
There is at least one person, really interested to follow the pinguin / flamingo chicks development through your photos. Could you maybe also elaborate a little bit on the current status of flamingo colonies in Birdland (size, breeding, future plans...)?
Birdland currently houses 3 flamingo species: 8.10 Greater 3.3 Caribbean (Housed with greaters) 4.4.3 Chilean
The greaters had their first eggs and chicks in 2003 and have hatched a total of 4 eggs in all, although no chicks survived past 9 months (2 died during hatched, 1 of a calcium deficiency and the 4th drowned at 9 months of age). In 2007 the nest island flooded and there were no eggs last year. The Caribbeans laid for the first time in 2007 and the 3 pairs produced an egg each in the past 2 years, none fertile. The Chileans have shown no interest. For the greater/Carib. group their enclosure includes natural river with 1 nest island which is soil/clay with water pumped between the nests. Future plans are to dredge the river (still a lot of rubbish from the 2007 floods being removed every month) and to develop a 2nd nest island. There is also talk of exchanging the 11 Chileans for 11 Caribbeans and developing that group.
The Newquay Penguins were all 08 birds which we were recommended to take by the studbook. Their birds were already on eggs again
For flamingos it is important to have a representative group of birds. Both the Carribean and Chilean flamingos do not conform to that scenario. Another worrying fact is that the greaters and Caribbeans are kept together and pose hybridisation risks. Is there any indication when the Chileans might be moved out and a new island for Carribeans and a greater flock would be put up?
Thanks for the details. It looks like the awaited "package" from Slimbridge has the highest importance for the future of its species at your facility. It could really make the difference and lead to a nice, sustaining greater flamingo colony there. Hopefully most of those chicks will do it, good luck! I´m just curious what led to the decision/discussion to phase out the chileans in favour of Caribbeans, and not the oposite way? Is it maybe because of their non-interest in breeding so far?
Stock list: Double Wattled Cassowary Greater Rhea King Penguin Humboldt Penguin Pink Backed Pelican Marabou Stork White Stork Hammerkop African Spoonbill Sacred Ibis Waldrapp Ibis Puna Ibis Greater Flamingo Caribbean Flamingo Chilean Flamingo Black Swan Black Necked Swan Coscoroba Swan Fulvous Tree Duck Ross' Goose Eider Indian Spotbill Duck Chestnut Teal Madagascan Teal Striated Caracara Bare Faced Curassow Northern Helmeted Curassow Scaled Quail Roul Roul Partridge Common Hill Partridge Temmincks Tragopan Edwards Pheasant Red Junglefowl Grey Peacock Pheasant Palawan Peacock Pheasant Golden Pheasant Siamese Fireback Pheasant White Naped Crane Demoiselle Crane Stanley Crane Grey Crowned Crane Red Legged Seriema Black Winged Stilt Avocet Stone Curlew Egyptian Plover Crowned Plover Blacksmith Plover Masked Plover Southern Lapwing Ruff Redshank Turtle Dove Red Turtle Dove Black Winged Ground Dove Crested Pigeon Bronzewing Pigeon Wonga Pigeon Diamond Dove Nicobar Pigeon Bartlett's Dove Sulawesi Dove Victoria Crowned Pogeon Pied Imperial Pigeon Green Imperial Pigeon Green Naped Lorikeet Red Lory White Cockatoo Moluccan Cockatoo African Grey Scarlet Macaw Blue & Gold Macaw Military Macaw Red Fronted Macaw Golden Conure Wagler's Conure Yellow Shouldered Amazon Red Crested Touraco Violaceous Touraco Buffon's Touraco White Faced Scops Owl Spectacled Owl Eurasian Eagle Owl Snowy Owl Burrowing Owl Kookaburra Carmine Bee-Eater Lilac-Breasted Roller Blue Bellied Roller Trumpeter Hornbill Tarictic Hornbill Southern Ground Hornbill Crowned Hornbill Bearded Barbet Red Billed Toucan Lesser Kiskadee Chinese Bulbul Blue Winged Minla Red Crested Cardinal Silver Beaked Tanager Desert Finch Beautiful Rosefinch Zebra Finch Bengalese Finch Java Sparrow Weaver Black Throated Laughing Thrush White Throated Laughing Thrush Red Winged Laughing Thrush Red Tailed Laughing Thrush Red Winged Starling Bali Mynah Hill Mynah Red Billed Starling Wattled Starling Red Billed Blue Pie Grey Tree Pie Azure Winged Magpie Sanblas Jay White Tailed Jay As of 31.3.09
Slight Flamingo change of plan. We have just taken delivery of 4 fertile Greater Flamingo eggs from Slimbridge and will be receiving juvenile birds at the end of the year. 2 of the eggs are pipping now Photos/update to follow Re. the Caribbeans - they are being moved away from the Greaters to join our none breeding group of Chileans later this week
The first 2 flamingo eggs have hatched and are looking healthy (fingers crossed) We also have the first 2 King Penguin eggs of the year
...yes, fingers crossed! Could you upload some photos? I can´t wait to see those newly hatched chicks.
Yes fingers crossed for the kings, this is the last breeding group (at the moment), of king penguins in the country as the birds at Edinburgh have not produced for a few years now