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Royal Parks Wildfowl Collection,Regent's Park

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Eric, 28 Jan 2018.

  1. Eric

    Eric Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Hi folks.Just thought i'd start up a thread,for those interested in London's (free) Royal Parks Waterfowl & Wildfowl Collection,at Regent's Park (and also for St Jame's Park).

    The park is the centre of the wider Royal Parks wildfowl breeding programs,and contains over 60 species,some of them feral populations,supplimented by wild birds,but it's worth a mention that they have a collection of rarer and more exotic species.

    This si a rough checklist,including feral bird fed and kept at the centre.

    Mute Swan
    African Yellowbill
    Canada Goose
    Black Swan
    Carolina Duck
    Greylag Goose
    Coscoroba Swan
    Mandarin Duck
    Emperor Goose
    Trumpeter Swan
    Bufflehead
    Barnacle Goose
    White Swan
    European Goldeneye
    Hawaiian Goose
    Whistling Swan
    Baikal Teal
    Ringed Teal
    Smew
    Common Pochard
    Shelduck
    Lesser Snow Goose
    Black Goose
    Pacific White-fronted Goose
    Pink-fronted Goose
    Grey Goose (hybrid?)
    Ruddy-headed Goose
    Swan Goose
    Blue-winged Teal
    Chestnut Teal
    Northern Pintail
    Marbled Teal
    Garganey
    Coot
    Moorhen
    Cinnamon Teal
    European Wigeon
    Australian Shelduck
    Cape Shelduck
    Hooded Merganser
    Red-breasted Merganser
    Shelduck
    Canvasback
    Red-crested Pochard
    Ring-necked Duck
    European Scaup
    European Pochard
    Tufted Duck
    Gadwall
    Australian White Eye
    South African Pochard
    Rosybilled Pochard
    Bahama Pintail
    Argentine Red Teal
    Chilean Teal
    Argentine Red Shoveler
    Common Shoveler
    New Zealand Scaup
    Chiloe Wigeon
    Red-billed Pintail
    Bronze-winged Duck
    Sharp-winged Duck
    Falcated Teal
    Greater Magellan Goose
    Ross's Goose
    Red-breasted Goose
    Barrow's Goldeneye
    Australian Wood Duck
    Egyptian Goose
    Fulvous Whistling Duck
    Brazilian Teal
     
    Last edited: 28 Jan 2018
    Ned likes this.
  2. Ned

    Ned Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    There was a huge collection on and around the lake in the 1980's but seemed to think out or go off show in the 90's. Glad it's still going though.
     
  3. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    No such things as White Swan, Black Goose or Argentine Red Teal.
     
  4. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    When I passed over the bridge in Regent's Park on the way to the Zoo before Xmas I saw no waterfowl in the closed- off area on the left where they normally are. It was raining so I did not stop to look hard but- are they still there?
     
  5. AdrianW1963

    AdrianW1963 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Just going to ask a very similar question where in regents park are these located please.
     
  6. Ned

    Ned Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    The waterfowl are often to be seen on the lake but the breeding centre is at one end of the lake near the smaller boating lake and café. If you follow the path around you cross a bridge and from there get a view into the bring centre.
     
  7. robmv

    robmv Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  8. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    The smaller more ornamental (and therefore more valuable) ducks and geese always used to be confined to the fenced off canal-like stretch of water near the bridge/toilets without access on the main lake, unless they have now been released? Canada, Greylag, Egyptian Geese and Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Coot etc form the bulk of the commoner waterfowl in Regents Park.
     
    Last edited: 29 Jan 2018
  9. Brum

    Brum Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Quick question about this place, does it count as a zoo?
     
  10. Tim May

    Tim May Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    I'm sure that the average visitor to the Regent's Park lake would NOT consider it to be a zoo. However, since it houses a sizeable captive collection of exotic waterfowl then, yes, I would consider it to be a zoo.

    Of course, I am not suggesting that every park lake that has a few resident wild aquatic birds (mallard, coot, moorhen etc) should be counted as a zoo but I think that the Regent's Park lake is a special case.
     
  11. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    Certainly I count it as one in my list of zoological collections visited.
     
  12. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    And of course, all those commoner species are free-flying wild birds.
     
  13. Ned

    Ned Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  14. Brum

    Brum Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Thank you both, on the list it goes! :)
     
  15. bongorob

    bongorob Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    This thread has reminded me, The JCB factory at Rocester, Staffordshire has a country park and lake, they have around 70 species of waterfowl. I've passed this place many times but have never visited yet.
     
  16. Eric

    Eric Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I have not visited or paid much attention to this part or parts of the park before,but thought that since other bird parks (i admit more specialized collections) are on zoochat,i'd thought it deserved a mention,and i had taken the bird list from a birdwatchers (who'd visited the lakes,canal) blog,so if there any discrepancies i've made,i apologize.
     
  17. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Yes. The website above doesn't explain whether its these commoner species they are referring too with their breeding, or the other more delicate Ornamentals. As I said, I saw no sign of any of these in the fenced-off area by the bridge/cafe/toilets, which I thought was rather odd but as it was raining I didn't stop there.
     
  18. AdrianW1963

    AdrianW1963 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I know this is somewhere on here but would like to start a thread on the park and it's collection.
    I will be arriving on train at Marylebone station and walking to regents park.

    Could someone direct me to where the collection is in the park please when I return I will put a complete list of all species seen on here.
     
  19. oflory

    oflory Well-Known Member 10+ year member Premium Member

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    Can't seem to upload a map of the park, but if you look on Google Maps, you will see that the lake in the park looks a bit like a backward 'y'.

    The waterfowl collection is mainly kept on the two islands on the north-eastern arm of the 'y', though there are usually exotic birds on the small lake in Queen Mary's Gardens within the Inner Circle of the Park and there are occasionally birds in the pens and fenced off section of the north-western arm of the 'y', by the toilets.

    I hope that makes sense. (There are pelicans on the lake in St. James' Park, as well...)
     
  20. Eric

    Eric Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    You could,should you so chose,catch the Bakerloo line from Marylebone to Regent's Park and take a stroll up through the park when the weathers pleasant enough?