Spent a sunny day at the Birmingham nature centre, a pleasant little zoo which is council run. In the style of my previous reviews (Bristol, London and Newquay). I hope you enjoy it.
Firstly the entrance is an old musuem and the building is a realy pleasant beggining to a nice day. Must mention the prices, as the zoo is funded by the city council the prices were wonderfully cheap, allowing more people access to the world of animals, delighting generations. just £3.50 per adult, £1.00 per child and free for children under 5 (also reductions for OAP's and students). As you enter the nature centre immediatley there is a paddock for goats in front of you (inside this paddock are some lovely statues of giraffes), and another paddock to the side. The paddocks are pretty standard with some trees for shade in the corner. both of these paddocks lead down to the Bourne brook (which flows into the river Rea) that runs through the zoo. passing the bridge is the 'Lilliput village' - basically an enclosed space with picnic benches, a childs play area, and domestic animals such as giant rabbits, guinea pigs, turkey and mara.
ignoring the Lilliput village: in front of you after passing the bridge is the old entrance to the park. After this is a large square aviary for sacred ibis, in front of which is a small pond (presumabley had fish in but I couldn't see any). to theright of the scared ibis is the lynx enclosure. this is simply an excellent enclosure and easily the best i've seen for lynx. the enclosure is very large with a few central mounds, tall trees, natural bushes. The lynx was hid in the bushes, and in the afternoon one was pacing at the back of the enclosure. The enclosure is fenced by standard mesh with a basic metal standoff, and can be viewed by path around the scared ibis as well as a patyh around the other side. Next to the lynx is a small enclosure, backing onto the perimeter fence, for beavers and it had a hawaiian goose. Naturally I didn't see any beavers although I did see where they have been nawing at the branches.
behind the lynx is a hut for school trips, and then, an enclosure for blue cranes. this enclosure is very nice with a yellow stone/concrete wall about waist height, with glass extending from this above head height. The enclosure is plnated with thickets of bamboo from which the blue cranes prance from. connected to this, is an enclosure for red crowned crane. this is a very nice paddock- style enclosure which also backs onto the side of the lynx enclosure. this is also very nicely planted with mesh fencing and a stand-off barrier. opposite the red crowned crane is the ex-red panda enclosure which is now home to a lively group of coati. the red panda Ming ming has left to welsh moutnain zoo, leaving the coati's with a fabulous enclosure. with tall mature trees and lots of climbing equipment it is a very big enclosure for the healthy-looking and lively coati that certainly make a better display than the sleepy red pandas. although some people thought the coati's lack the cuteness factor of the panda's. The path leads all the way around the enclosure with is fenced by glass panels, slightly above head height. the path can lead back to the sacred ibis (on the one side of which is the lynx enclosure and on the other is the ocelot enclosure).
The ocelot enclosure is glass pannelled cage, dark but spacious. idealy this could do with more plants and a closer stand off barrier. The ocelot spent most of the day beautifully asleep on it's branches, occasioanlly moving...to go and sleep on another branch (actually it paced around for about 5 mins). Anyway back to the coati enclosure is a large hut grandly named the 'tamarin conservation centre'. inside the hut is a large glass enclosure for white eared marmoset (although golden lion tamarin's were also signed for). the enclosure had plenty of branches and some nice planting. it certainly is a nice large enclosure for the lively marmosets. The exhibit was completed well with a focus on conservation and the whole behaviour of marmosets and tamarins. Directly opposite this hut is a door with 'the most dangerous animal in the world - enter at your own risk' (or something like that), with the classic zoo trick of a mirror being behind the door.
end of part 1.
In part 2, meerkats, ring tail lemurs, meerkats vs lemurs
, otters, ruffed lemur, mouse house, reptile house, goeldi's monkey and more.
Firstly the entrance is an old musuem and the building is a realy pleasant beggining to a nice day. Must mention the prices, as the zoo is funded by the city council the prices were wonderfully cheap, allowing more people access to the world of animals, delighting generations. just £3.50 per adult, £1.00 per child and free for children under 5 (also reductions for OAP's and students). As you enter the nature centre immediatley there is a paddock for goats in front of you (inside this paddock are some lovely statues of giraffes), and another paddock to the side. The paddocks are pretty standard with some trees for shade in the corner. both of these paddocks lead down to the Bourne brook (which flows into the river Rea) that runs through the zoo. passing the bridge is the 'Lilliput village' - basically an enclosed space with picnic benches, a childs play area, and domestic animals such as giant rabbits, guinea pigs, turkey and mara.
ignoring the Lilliput village: in front of you after passing the bridge is the old entrance to the park. After this is a large square aviary for sacred ibis, in front of which is a small pond (presumabley had fish in but I couldn't see any). to theright of the scared ibis is the lynx enclosure. this is simply an excellent enclosure and easily the best i've seen for lynx. the enclosure is very large with a few central mounds, tall trees, natural bushes. The lynx was hid in the bushes, and in the afternoon one was pacing at the back of the enclosure. The enclosure is fenced by standard mesh with a basic metal standoff, and can be viewed by path around the scared ibis as well as a patyh around the other side. Next to the lynx is a small enclosure, backing onto the perimeter fence, for beavers and it had a hawaiian goose. Naturally I didn't see any beavers although I did see where they have been nawing at the branches.
behind the lynx is a hut for school trips, and then, an enclosure for blue cranes. this enclosure is very nice with a yellow stone/concrete wall about waist height, with glass extending from this above head height. The enclosure is plnated with thickets of bamboo from which the blue cranes prance from. connected to this, is an enclosure for red crowned crane. this is a very nice paddock- style enclosure which also backs onto the side of the lynx enclosure. this is also very nicely planted with mesh fencing and a stand-off barrier. opposite the red crowned crane is the ex-red panda enclosure which is now home to a lively group of coati. the red panda Ming ming has left to welsh moutnain zoo, leaving the coati's with a fabulous enclosure. with tall mature trees and lots of climbing equipment it is a very big enclosure for the healthy-looking and lively coati that certainly make a better display than the sleepy red pandas. although some people thought the coati's lack the cuteness factor of the panda's. The path leads all the way around the enclosure with is fenced by glass panels, slightly above head height. the path can lead back to the sacred ibis (on the one side of which is the lynx enclosure and on the other is the ocelot enclosure).
The ocelot enclosure is glass pannelled cage, dark but spacious. idealy this could do with more plants and a closer stand off barrier. The ocelot spent most of the day beautifully asleep on it's branches, occasioanlly moving...to go and sleep on another branch (actually it paced around for about 5 mins). Anyway back to the coati enclosure is a large hut grandly named the 'tamarin conservation centre'. inside the hut is a large glass enclosure for white eared marmoset (although golden lion tamarin's were also signed for). the enclosure had plenty of branches and some nice planting. it certainly is a nice large enclosure for the lively marmosets. The exhibit was completed well with a focus on conservation and the whole behaviour of marmosets and tamarins. Directly opposite this hut is a door with 'the most dangerous animal in the world - enter at your own risk' (or something like that), with the classic zoo trick of a mirror being behind the door.
end of part 1.
In part 2, meerkats, ring tail lemurs, meerkats vs lemurs
, otters, ruffed lemur, mouse house, reptile house, goeldi's monkey and more.
. By the back of the reptile house is a path leading away from the main part of the zoo past wildlife areas and ponds. here there is an african crested porcupine enclosure that used to be a large fish tank. The porcupine enclosure is viewed on two levels as the visitors travel down from the top to see the porcupines through glass windows (which used to provide very muddy underwater viewing). never before have I seen procupines draw a crowd as they have done here, although the group of about 5 were more active than I've seen before. from the porcupines the path winds through a nature trail. Forgot to mention by the enclosure where you are looking down onto the enclosure (as opposed to through the windows) there is small garden. 
