Blackbrook Zoo (Closed) Blackbrook Zoo 2011

[PAT]

Another day, another UK zoo visited.

Today I visited Blackbrook Zoo and had such a great, if not a little humbling, time. I've always thought I was pretty educated about animals, maybe not quite as educated as a lot of the people who are members of this site, but seeing so many species of birds that I'd actually never heard of made me realise just how many species exist on the Earth. I think I had a biological epiphany.

Normally I would write what I liked and didn't like about a zoo but, apart from the lack of signage on a lot of the exhibits, there wasn't anything that I didn't like. If I was going to change some things they would be the lemur exhibits, the zebra exhibit and maybe adding something else to the mara exhibit near the penguins. Overall it is an attractive zoo with a lot of nice views (everywhere in England has nice views ).

The list of highlights is pretty endless though. Species wise they were saddle-billed storks, marabou storks, crowned cranes, eiders, two new species of spoonbill, Visayan warty pigs, nilgai, Asian open-billed storks, snowy owls, and the endless number of ducks, geese and swans. I also really liked the penguin exhibit and the main exhibits for the continents.

For a zoo with very few mammals and reptiles I was surprised at how much there was to see and at the sheer diversity on display.

 

[Maguari]

Glad you enjoyed (one of) my local zoo(s*)!

The location for a waterfowl-orientated collection is superb, up on the beautiful moorlands on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border.

Without wanting this to seem odd - it's fascinating seeing a list of bird highlights from the point of view of an exotic-bird-deprived Australian zoochatter - the idea of Marabou and Snowy Owl being as exciting as Asian Openbill and Saddle-bills is rather humbling in itself!




*I'm more-or-less the same journey time from Blackbrook, Twycross and YWP (and Wetlands WP, Tropical Butterfly House (North Anston) and the tiny but perfectly-formed Chestnut Centre as well). My actual closest zoological collection is Matlock Bath Aquarium but the less said about that the better...

 

[chizlit]

I made my first visit here too last week and had the same impression as Pat, I was surprised how much I enjoyed a maily birds collection, and the only poorish area was the lemurs, but with a little money (I know they are cash strapped), there is plenty of space to improve it. Plus more signs would be good.
The problem with Blackbrook is it seems to be little known and and is in the middle of nowhere big, and it also has to compete with Alton Towers, plus the fact that it has few big animal draws to pull the punters in, but until you go you dont know that it doesn't really matter as it's fine as it is.