Birmingham Nature Centre Birmingham Nature Centre News 2013

Brum

Brum

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Made my first visit of the year today and thought I would let you all know of some recent changes:-
First of all, there is to be a new harvest mouse enclosure being built behind the ibis aviary, this one will not be open topped and seems to be a lot more visitor friendly.
Both ocelots are now in place and the enclosures look great, cats were highly active when we arrived but were both dozing under their heat lamps by 3pm.
Sugar gliders are now in the old mouse lemur enclosure and are a lot more visible than the previous occupants. The mouse lemurs now share with the jumping rats in Moonlight.
Alaotoran gentle lemurs have arrived and are on-show but appeared to be confined to their indoor holding.
The Utila Island iguana has also gone on show in the reptile house and I'm led to believe there are more behind the scenes.
The female capybara is off show currently and I didn't spot the male either.
White throated capuchins are expected soon to replace the ring tailed lemurs who are now in their new enclosure.
The Azara's agouti is apparently there but totally failed to see it.
Finally, spoke to a staff member who remains optimistic that the tenrecs will go on show before the summer but nothing is set in stone.

Personal highlights for me were arriving at Moonlight just in time for feeding, which gave me great views of all the species. The member of staff even coaxed a mouse lemur closer to the window so I got a great view. And the red squirrels were active, my girlfriend was pretty happy just to actually see one! :)
I did take my new camera but my batteries died as soon as I took 2 photo's of the kids unfortunately, next visit I will be far more prepared! ;)
 
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Brum said:
my batteries died as soon as I took 2 photo's of the kids unfortunately, next visit I will be far more prepared! ;)
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Moral of the story, don't waste battery power on taking photographs of commonplace creatures ;)
 
Both pieces of advice are duly noted! :p
I did take spare batteries, unfortunately they were Panasonic and didn't even power my camera. Should really have paid more attention when picking them up from the kitchen! ;)
And unfortunately taking pictures of the family has to be done, the missus gets upset when there's only pictures of animals/enclosures and nothing we can cherish as 'memories', I say that every photo is a memory! :p
I may have managed a photo of the new ocelot enclosure but I'll have to wait to check, there may be a child in front of it though... ;)
 
A very quick update from today. Tomorrow a female yellow-breasted capuchin will arrive from Apenheul, followed shortly by a male from Las Vallee Des Singes. Also there appears to be a recent addition of greater hairy armadillo to the nocturnal house, I didn't see them but noticed new signs for them on the entrance.
The harvest mouse breeding centre is up and running, the set-up is extremely similar to the off-show reptile facilities but contain harvest mice instead of reptiles. Even the labelling is similar.
I have a few photo's that I will try and post in due course.
Special thanks to Saguinus, who took the time to speak to me personally! :)
 
After a brief visit today I have some (mainly reptile related) news. In the reptile house they have 2 new species on show, mangrove snake and golden eyelash viper. There are also European pond turtles in the harvest mouse enclosure. There was no sign of the Demoiselle crane with the otters today, I think it may have left the collection.
Unfortunately meerkats seem to be taking over the centre as they now have their own enclosure and are being mixed with the porcupines as well.
Only other news is the Alaotoran gentle lemur enclosure is having work done as the foundations are unsafe.
 
zoogiraffe said:
Yes the Demoiselle Crane are no longer kept at BNC.
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I knew it was due to leave but hadn't realised it had gone already. I'm awaiting something far more interesting to replace it in the otter enclosure.
 
Some brief information from today, work is progressing on a new enclosure for monkeys just inside the entrance. The pygmy goats are still housed there and do not seem to mind the fact they're living in a construction site! :p I've uploaded a photo to the gallery of the current state of the enclosure.
Also, they seem to have acquired a few more harvest mice in the "off-show" breeding house as there are no longer any empty tanks in there and they are all housing at least one specimen each.
Today is the busiest I've seen the Centre in quite a while and me and the family had a blast, there's even a kids entertainer in the play area who does plate spinning and magic tricks. I thought this was an especially nice touch and gave me and the missus some brief respite without having to worry about the girls running off/injuring themselves.
 
Visited last week, only news I can report is the capys have a new pool to swim in and a new construction by the main entrance, photo below, and ideas? I'd go for coati.
 

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chizlit said:
Visited last week, only news I can report is the capys have a new pool to swim in and a new construction by the main entrance, photo below, and ideas? I'd go for coati.
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I think it's for spider monkeys. I did ask but can't quite remember now. Saguinus would be the man to ask.
 
Visited today, I got very lost on the way, but it was nice to see Woodgate Valley Country Park again and I figured it out in the end.

I'm very impressed and surprised I didn't know about this place beforehand. I was expected it to be a children's zoo with stocking fillers, which it was, but there was lots as well.

The Nocturnal house was very interesting, but there were no signs at all, does anyone know what species they have there? I saw Malagasy giant rats, some kind of mouse lemur, some kind of loris, some kind of night monkey and possibly a sloth of some sort. It wasn't moving at all.

I saw moving red squirrels and pandas, plus they had antelope. Dudley's got some composition now.:D

Oh and does anyone know why they have a recent wooden signs saying "Giraffes" on the capybara stable?
 
Visited today and saw 3 baby meerkats and two adults in with the porcupines, did not think that was a great mix and there were a few fights between them. Apart from that, lovely view of the gentle lemurs being fed and the Loris was quite interested in us. Goats moved in with the cameroon sheep, nothing in the 'south american exhibit' yet! One of my friends has started volunteering there, I will have to start harrassing her about what it might be soon!
Lamna, the giraffe sign refers to a huge metal giraffe in the bushes. Nocturnal house has Big hairy armadillo, gambian giant pouched rat, gray mouse lemur, pygmy slow loris, Linnaeus two toed sloth, then cavies and goeldis monkeys on the side, the monkey zootierliste says is grey handed night monkey, but the sign says it is something else which we struggled to pronounce, maybe an alternative name?
 
You forgot the armadillo in the nocturnal house. But I'm yet to see that myself so you're forgiven Devi! :p
 
Thanks for the info.

I was really impressed with the nocturnal house, the Malagasy giant rats were small, cute, active and they came right up to the glass, plus they are very endangered.

I wonder why more collections don't keep them? I'm pretty sure that's what they were. I've held (and been peed on by) a Gambian rat and he looked very different to the pair or animals at the BNC.

Where is the armadillo?

The meerkats in with the porcupines seemed to be getting along ok to me, but then the porcupines were asleep in a pile.
 
Brum said:
You forgot the armadillo in the nocturnal house. But I'm yet to see that myself so you're forgiven Devi! :p
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That was the first one I said, big hairy armadillo, and I've not seen it either, in fact I don't know anyone who has, my friend reckon it's just something they added to the sign to fill space.
 
Devi said:
That was the first one I said, big hairy armadillo, and I've not seen it either, in fact I don't know anyone who has, my friend reckon it's just something they added to the sign to fill space.
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I apologise, I read your post in a hurry! :) It does exist, I've been told that if I ask in advance then a keeper will show it to me. Don't think they'd offer to show me an invisible one! :p

I can't believe TWO ZooChatters visited my local whilst I'm out of town, I visit pretty much on a monthly basis... :rolleyes:
 
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