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Birdland Park & Gardens News from Birdland

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Ajkwba, 28 Mar 2009.

  1. Ajkwba

    Ajkwba Well-Known Member

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    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 :D

    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 :p. 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
     
    FBBird likes this.
  2. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    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...)?
     
  3. Ajkwba

    Ajkwba Well-Known Member

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    Birdland currently houses 3 flamingo species:

    8.10 Greater
    3.3 Caribbean (Housed with greaters)
    4.4.3 Chilean
     
  4. James27

    James27 Well-Known Member

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    Why did you receive all of Newquays penguins, have they given up on keeping them?
     
  5. Ajkwba

    Ajkwba Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
  6. Ajkwba

    Ajkwba Well-Known Member

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    The Newquay Penguins were all 08 birds which we were recommended to take by the studbook. Their birds were already on eggs again
     
  7. James27

    James27 Well-Known Member

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    Oh chicks from 2008? I thought you meant 0.8, as in all their females. My mistake lol.
     
  8. Ajkwba

    Ajkwba Well-Known Member

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    Sorry, didn't make it very clear :rolleyes:
     
  9. Fodders

    Fodders Well-Known Member

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    Do you have a species list you could send to me Ajkwba?
     
  10. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    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?
     
  11. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    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?
     
  12. Ajkwba

    Ajkwba Well-Known Member

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  13. Ajkwba

    Ajkwba Well-Known Member

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    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
     
  14. Ajkwba

    Ajkwba Well-Known Member

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    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 :D 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
     
  15. Ajkwba

    Ajkwba Well-Known Member

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    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
     
  16. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    ...yes, fingers crossed!

    Could you upload some photos? I can´t wait to see those newly hatched chicks. :)
     
  17. Ajkwba

    Ajkwba Well-Known Member

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    Will do so now


    Penguin webcam being installed shortly!
     
  18. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    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
     
  19. Ajkwba

    Ajkwba Well-Known Member

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  20. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Very nice video and photos! Please keep us up to date, how they are developing.