Birmingham Nature Centre Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park News 2018

Brum said:
My measurements come from the IZES guide by Tim Brown. And I would much rather have a drinking contest, no fist fight afterwards. If I can't win on beer alone then I don't want to play! :p

And I'm perplexed as to how I have this reputation as a big drinker, I just enjoy a refreshing alcoholic beverage when appropriate! :p
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I’m surprised too you’re a brummy not Glaswegian :p:p
 
Zooreviewsuk said:
I'm amazed by the sizes put up here. I know Bristol is small but it feels far bigger than BNC. I went to BNC last autumn having done Dudley in the morning and can safely say I covered it thoroughly in an hour, and that included a good 20 minutes trying to view the Loris and get a nice picture in the Nocturnal house (my fav part). I loved the Red Panda exhibit there though, it was really good.

If it is only a couple of acres smaller than Bristol, then I'm amazed and Bristol definitely has far more in it's grounds and uses it's space far better.
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Bare in mind the land BWCP has to build on isn’t the easiest to seeing as a river does interesect it and the land isn’t exactly flat either.
 
Charlie Simmomds said:
I’m surprised too you’re a brummy not Glaswegian :p:p
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Funny you should say that, the paternal side of my family all are Glaswegian! :p

Charlie Simmomds said:
Bare in mind the land BWCP has to build on isn’t the easiest to seeing as a river does interesect it and the land isn’t exactly flat either.
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And don't forget that it's a council run collection so funds aren't always easy to get.
 
Tilgate is council run from what i recall. What worries me with council run zoo's,is that funding might run out or withdrawn,the council get bored,or find a fault in the upkeep/welfare of collections and we lose another small collection.
Still aiming to go the BWCP,via public transport (from London).Just having to decide between that or Wingham..Oh the trivials of a novice zoo fan!!
 
Have you been to Tilgate recently? It is improving with every visit I make! The entrance fee of £3 is ridiculously cheap, even double that would be fair, so I don't think council ownership is necessarily restrictive!
 
Eric said:
Still aiming to go the BWCP,via public transport (from London).Just having to decide between that or Wingham..Oh the trivials of a novice zoo fan!!
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I like BWCP, but there's no contest which is better in my opinion, Wingham is in a league ( or 2) above!
 
pipaluk said:
I like BWCP, but there's no contest which is better in my opinion, Wingham is in a league ( or 2) above!
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Whilst I would disagree :P Wingham is a very good collection indeed, but given what BWCP achieves despite its small size and relatively unknown nature, I would argue it is a better collection overall.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Whilst I would disagree :p Wingham is a very good collection indeed, but given what BWCP achieves despite its small size and relatively unknown nature, I would argue it is a better collection overall.
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Sorry, but I can't see what BWCP is better for? Primates? No, Carnivores? no, Birds? No Reptiles? No chance! So I ask what makes it better overall? I don't want to start an argument, but just can't see how it can possibly be considered better!
 
Quantity does not always equal quality :p as I intended to convey with the statement "given what BWCP achieves despite its small size and relatively unknown nature" my preference is based on the feeling that a collection which is small, council-run and doesn't get much publicity managing to be as good as BWCP - in terms of general feel, value for money and species selection - is worthy of accolade.

You can't really compare a big collection like Wingham to a small one like BWCP on the level of "The bigger collection has more species of primate/carnivore/bird/reptile ergo it is better", or else you'd be able to argue that - say - Living Coasts is a worse collection than South Lakes; as such the only fair way to compare them is along these more emotional and esoteric lines.

Put another way, it's easy to be as good as Wingham when you have the money and publicity. I very much enjoyed Wingham when I visited last year - even if the dinosaur park there is quite literally the worst I have ever seen, in a fun-to-heckle way - but I enjoyed BWCP more on the three occasions I have visited thus far.

Which isn't to say you are wrong, or that I am right, just that other opinions are available and that in this case (recommending whether or not BWCP is worth visiting) I felt it worth highlighting the fact that my recommendation is the opposite of yours :)
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Quantity does not always equal quality :p as I intended to convey with the statement "given what BWCP achieves despite its small size and relatively unknown nature" my preference is based on the feeling that a collection which is small, council-run and doesn't get much publicity managing to be as good as BWCP - in terms of general feel, value for money and species selection - is worthy of accolade.

You can't really compare a big collection like Wingham to a small one like BWCP on the level of "The bigger collection has more species of primate/carnivore/bird/reptile ergo it is better", or else you'd be able to argue that - say - Living Coasts is a worse collection than South Lakes; as such the only fair way to compare them is along these more emotional and esoteric lines.

Put another way, it's easy to be as good as Wingham when you have the money and publicity. I very much enjoyed Wingham when I visited last year - even if the dinosaur park there is quite literally the worst I have ever seen, in a fun-to-heckle way - but I enjoyed BWCP more on the three occasions I have visited thus far.

Which isn't to say you are wrong, or that I am right, just that other opinions are available and that in this case (recommending whether or not BWCP is worth visiting) I felt it worth highlighting the fact that my recommendation is the opposite of yours :)
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I agree BWCP is definitely worth visiting, I've been there twice in just over a year. I wouldn't argue you are necessarily wrong, there is no right or wrong, if we all had the same opinion there would be nothing to discuss! I was just interested why you thought that.

I'm sure if certain other zoos were compared, for example Marwell v Whipsnade, London v Colchester our opinions would be opposite, I like the Aspinall Parks despite there owner and some of their ways,though we both might choose Hamerton over a lot of much bigger zoos!
 
pipaluk said:
for example Marwell v Whipsnade,
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Actually I honestly don't know which one of those you would choose :p given how critical you are of Marwell these days, I would have thought there is a good chance you would agree with me that Whipsnade is the better collection nowadays!
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Actually I honestly don't know which one of those you would choose :p given how critical you are of Marwell these days, I would have thought there is a good chance you would agree with me that Whipsnade is the better collection nowadays!
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Correct! And apart from 1970s London Zoo, probably the 2 best zoos I've been to are in Berlin, which I don't think would be too far down your list, so we don't disagree on everything!
 
Eric said:
still aiming to go the BWCP,via public transport (from London)
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Just noticed this. BWCP from London is really straightforward; Euston to B'ham New Street, go out the station and jump on the 61 or 63 bus for about a mile, get off and turn left then take the first right, straight down Pebble Mill Rd and you're there. Easy as that! ;)
 
Brum said:
Just noticed this. BWCP from London is really straightforward; Euston to B'ham New Street, go out the station and jump on the 61 or 63 bus for about a mile, get off and turn left then take the first right, straight down Pebble Mill Rd and you're there. Easy as that! ;)
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I thought i saw on a bus link/google map link that bus 45/47 from BNS that stops right outside on Pershore Road.? Am i mistaken.?
 
Eric said:
I thought i saw on a bus link/google map link that bus 45/47 from BNS that stops right outside on Pershore Road.? Am i mistaken.?
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You're not mistaken, I was just unsure as to whether the 45/47 were currently stopping outside New Street, I didn't want to make your journey even more complex by negotiating the city centre! ;)
 
45/47 goes from opposite New Street and will drop you at the gate. X61 (as it now is I think) and 63 drop you on a different road, but no great distance.

(On the return the 45/47 bus will bring you back to the same stop, but it's sometimes quicker to get off by the Market rather than sit on the bus while it negotiates the city centre congestion)

Two other points: a day ticket is cheaper than two singles (I think) and the buses use exact fare fareboxes, no change given.

But well worth visiting, especially for its small mammals.
 
Popped up for a visit recently. First impressions are ''fairly'' positive.Given it is a small urban zoo,it's laid out fairly well in the small space,with space for at least some of the animals on show.What flaws they have,i'm sure they can improve upon.

Despite it being a cold day,a few of the animals were out.
Meerkats,Asian Short clawed Otters,the Red Panda's,Cranes,Rheas,Eurasian Lynx (being fed),Sacred/N.Bald Ibis,the poor forlorn looking Sitatunga sharing with a lonesome Cameroon sheep,and briefly,what I thought were the buffy headed capuchins.

On view inside their indoor huts were all the marmosets and tamarins,the Binturong,and the African Crested Porcupines (sharing drab square pit with three meerkats).

I liked the little reptile house and the nocturnal house,despite negotiating through the latter past a sudden rush of parents & toddlers stopping to have a chat!.

Both the Goeldi's Monkeys and the Golden Lion Tamarins seemed fascinated with my camera strap,allowing me to get a few close ups (especially of the former,a little red eyed,black gremlin).

No shows were the Agouti's and Colombian Black Spider Minkeys. And there was construction near completion on a small house near the rubbish yard/Agouti Enclosure.
 
Just had a quick, cold but nice visit to the collection:
  • Saw the Mara and black tree monitor, no luck with baby sloth or the crocodile lizard.
  • Building work is occurring next to the main reptile house, on sight of the old crocodile sculptures.
  • No ecletus parrots or parrots of any kind with the silky chickens now.
  • There is also another new reptile in the reptile house in the form of curly tail lizards.
 
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