Just back from the zoo, will load some pics into the gallery.
Not realising today was the first day of the Easter holidays in Scotland, you can imagine my shock, when arriving at the zoo having to wait in queue for 15-20 minutes to get into the park, to anyonyone who has visited the zoo, it reached all the way back up to the car park booth, from the reception
.
But i have to say i was probably the only one in that queue that was delighted, it was great to see the sheer volume of visitors, on this the first day of the holidays, long may it continue.
In the zoo itself first stop, the new Patagonian sealions, they look magnificent, the bull is going to be a brute of animal, the water in the pool though was looking distinctly pea soup green.
Up past the duck ponds, with a pair of white naped cranes and a single black stork, and past the new enclosure for the European beaver in one of the duck ponds.
Before this i should say i saw my first Stanley cranes, beautiful birds, sharing a paddock with the Bawean deer.
There was only 2 African hunting dogs in their enclosure, and in the pond of their enclosure were 2 common mallards, fighting viciously over a female, but the dogs were not in the least bit interested, but the public were 3 deep watching this squabble.
New arrivals in the African aviary were 4 vulturine guineafowl from Prague zoo.
The reptile exhibit in the hunting dog indoor area was occupied by a display of desert locust.
The 1.2 Malayan tapir were on show sharing the paddock.
The red river hog house was sealed off, the sow due anytime now, and the 2 other hogs have been moved in with the bongo.
Saw my first lesser galago in their nocturnal exhibit, lovely animals.
The European sousliks were on show too, after coming out of hibernation.
The tundra reindeer were looking good in the former vicuna paddock.
The African plains exhibit was full of young Grevy,s zebra, lesser kudu and lowland nyala. The Grevy's zebra foal will be about a year old now, but was having a great time chasing all the antelope.
The new wolf wood was coming along the new fencing is up, with an indoor observation area at the top of the enclosure, next to the playground, good to have the wolves back in their wolf wood.
The new female Amur leopard was on show, albeit with camouflage netting over the front of her enclosure.
The gelada family looked amazing from the alpha male right down to the newborns, a great display, and in a fantastic enclosure.
A single eclectus parrot has been moved into the indoor Australasian aviary in the koala exhibit.
The former binturong and margay enclosures are being redevelpoed for the Temminck's cat, with a female due soon.
This was my first visit to the living links exhibit, and i have to say i was blown away
.
This is in my book the best primate exhibit in the zoo, Budongo included, 2 shared outdoor paddocks, and 4 individual indoor dens, the capuchins and the squirrel monkeys may not be the first choice of primate in a zoo that boasts aye-aye, drill and purple faced langurs in their stock, but these animals captivated everyone in the house watching them, with so much to see, they make a great exhibit.
And round to rainbow landings, on my first visit i wasn't impressed with this exhibit, i was wrong!
The area looks great now, the separate aviary has now gone and is one huge area for the lorikeets, Victoria crowned pigeon, Nicobar pigeon and blue faced honeyeater, no sign of the potoroo though, but a friendly keeper directed me to a clump of bushes, and nestled in there, in the free flight area was the male lesser Malayan chevrotain born last year, an arms length away from me separated from the public by a piece of rope!, my highlight of the day.
The Sclater's blue eyed lemurs were 5 days into their mixing with the ring tailed lemurs and according to their keeper so good so far.
This friendly and informative keeper also told me that no replacement aye-aye has been sourced yet, and none were available.
So the plan to move the aye-aye to the former gorilla house is on hold, but the drills will be going and could be joined by a troop of olive baboons.
Animals not seen.
European beaver
Alaotran gentle lemur
warthog
Asiatic lion (my own fault went around their enclosure)
addax (unusual?)
Scottish wildcat
European beaver
bush dog
Pallas cat
Sumatran tiger
wolverine
Temminck's cat
Another exhausting day at the zoo
Not realising today was the first day of the Easter holidays in Scotland, you can imagine my shock, when arriving at the zoo having to wait in queue for 15-20 minutes to get into the park, to anyonyone who has visited the zoo, it reached all the way back up to the car park booth, from the reception
.But i have to say i was probably the only one in that queue that was delighted, it was great to see the sheer volume of visitors, on this the first day of the holidays, long may it continue.
In the zoo itself first stop, the new Patagonian sealions, they look magnificent, the bull is going to be a brute of animal, the water in the pool though was looking distinctly pea soup green.
Up past the duck ponds, with a pair of white naped cranes and a single black stork, and past the new enclosure for the European beaver in one of the duck ponds.
Before this i should say i saw my first Stanley cranes, beautiful birds, sharing a paddock with the Bawean deer.
There was only 2 African hunting dogs in their enclosure, and in the pond of their enclosure were 2 common mallards, fighting viciously over a female, but the dogs were not in the least bit interested, but the public were 3 deep watching this squabble.
New arrivals in the African aviary were 4 vulturine guineafowl from Prague zoo.
The reptile exhibit in the hunting dog indoor area was occupied by a display of desert locust.
The 1.2 Malayan tapir were on show sharing the paddock.
The red river hog house was sealed off, the sow due anytime now, and the 2 other hogs have been moved in with the bongo.
Saw my first lesser galago in their nocturnal exhibit, lovely animals.
The European sousliks were on show too, after coming out of hibernation.
The tundra reindeer were looking good in the former vicuna paddock.
The African plains exhibit was full of young Grevy,s zebra, lesser kudu and lowland nyala. The Grevy's zebra foal will be about a year old now, but was having a great time chasing all the antelope.
The new wolf wood was coming along the new fencing is up, with an indoor observation area at the top of the enclosure, next to the playground, good to have the wolves back in their wolf wood.
The new female Amur leopard was on show, albeit with camouflage netting over the front of her enclosure.
The gelada family looked amazing from the alpha male right down to the newborns, a great display, and in a fantastic enclosure.
A single eclectus parrot has been moved into the indoor Australasian aviary in the koala exhibit.
The former binturong and margay enclosures are being redevelpoed for the Temminck's cat, with a female due soon.
This was my first visit to the living links exhibit, and i have to say i was blown away
.This is in my book the best primate exhibit in the zoo, Budongo included, 2 shared outdoor paddocks, and 4 individual indoor dens, the capuchins and the squirrel monkeys may not be the first choice of primate in a zoo that boasts aye-aye, drill and purple faced langurs in their stock, but these animals captivated everyone in the house watching them, with so much to see, they make a great exhibit.
And round to rainbow landings, on my first visit i wasn't impressed with this exhibit, i was wrong!
The area looks great now, the separate aviary has now gone and is one huge area for the lorikeets, Victoria crowned pigeon, Nicobar pigeon and blue faced honeyeater, no sign of the potoroo though, but a friendly keeper directed me to a clump of bushes, and nestled in there, in the free flight area was the male lesser Malayan chevrotain born last year, an arms length away from me separated from the public by a piece of rope!, my highlight of the day.
The Sclater's blue eyed lemurs were 5 days into their mixing with the ring tailed lemurs and according to their keeper so good so far.
This friendly and informative keeper also told me that no replacement aye-aye has been sourced yet, and none were available.
So the plan to move the aye-aye to the former gorilla house is on hold, but the drills will be going and could be joined by a troop of olive baboons.
Animals not seen.
European beaver
Alaotran gentle lemur
warthog
Asiatic lion (my own fault went around their enclosure)
addax (unusual?)
Scottish wildcat
European beaver
bush dog
Pallas cat
Sumatran tiger
wolverine
Temminck's cat
Another exhausting day at the zoo
