Afaik 'Jeannie' was one of Meg's first offspring, so shouldn't she be in her line rather than a seperate one?
And are Halfpenny & Farthing related also?
Chester Zoo Chester Zoo Discussion and questions 2023
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Afaik 'Jeannie' was one of Meg's first offspring, so shouldn't she be in her line rather than a seperate one?
And are Halfpenny & Farthing related also?
That's correct, and my mistake. That would therefore give Meg ultimately the biggest family group (of eight individuals with an additional two females mother and daughter, Rosie and Sally.
Halfpenny and Farthing are half sisters (they share the same father). Although as founders at Chester, they've subsequently produced their own lines.
Are the Javan Green Magpies offshow still? Didn’t see them during my visit today. How long have they been behind the scenes?
I saw a mystery wild bird at Chester a few weeks ago.
It was sitting on top of the flamingo aviary and was quite large. A man nearby said it was the size of a duck.
It was obviously a seabird, coloured mostly grey with a forked tail, which made me think of a tern. However the size was all wrong.
I tried to take a photo but my camera battereies were dead. This bird had a black head, like the black-headed gull but was more herring gull sized.
If it wasn't for the comment that it was as big as a duck I would think I'd misidentified a black-headed gull.
I have no idea what it was.
It was sitting on top of the flamingo aviary and was quite large. A man nearby said it was the size of a duck.
It was obviously a seabird, coloured mostly grey with a forked tail, which made me think of a tern. However the size was all wrong.
I tried to take a photo but my camera battereies were dead. This bird had a black head, like the black-headed gull but was more herring gull sized.
If it wasn't for the comment that it was as big as a duck I would think I'd misidentified a black-headed gull.
I have no idea what it was.
Sounds like a tern based on the forked tail - if the size comment is accurate probably one of the larger terns - Sandwich would be most likely. Don't suppose you noticed the bill colour at all?
Black head would be fine for Sandwich but not red bill. Black head, red bill, forked tail would normally suggest a 'Comic' tern (Common or Arctic) - only the described size seems out.
There's an outside chance of a Caspian Tern, which would be much bigger and match everything else, but it's a significant rarity if so.
Could you have mistaken the crossed wingtips for a forked tail? The other truly black headed gull option is Mediterranean Gull and there are at least a dozen of these on the Dee Estuary at present...
Have to say it's quite a nice experience, the zoo into the night, didn't go for the entertainment, but just a pleasant walk around in the evening sun, with reduced numbers.
Also first tiger Cub sightings, first visit to Planet Shark, also saw a private event for Redrow at the new events space. Think that's going to be a good earner for the zoo, all year round.
Also first tiger Cub sightings, first visit to Planet Shark, also saw a private event for Redrow at the new events space. Think that's going to be a good earner for the zoo, all year round.
Moorhunhe
Well-Known Member
About the Okapi... From the video they posted a few days ago, the little one was outside. We went 2 days ago, and we only saw 2 adults, no little one.
Would they be keeping her/him off show maybe?
This was our very first visit to Chester zoo, and wow, we completely underestimated how big this place really is!
I always use my GPS app to keep track of how many km's I do, and I've beat a record of most km in the amount of hours, lol!
We really enjoyed it, though, picked a wrong period to go with lots of school groups.
To a point where we were in inside buildings, people had to start shouting to keep moving, and to not push and shove as it was clogging up real bad.
Curious to see what the new bit will be about, and we barely managed to see it all in 1 day already, hehe.
Highlights were the Okapi, regardless of not seeing the baby (though the reason we decided to go very last minute), as I've not seen one since I moved from Belgium to England 5 years ago, and I could see them in Antwerp with my annual pass.
The tree kangaroos, and just in time to see the Sifaka jump from one end of the enclosure to the other.
Would they be keeping her/him off show maybe?
This was our very first visit to Chester zoo, and wow, we completely underestimated how big this place really is!
I always use my GPS app to keep track of how many km's I do, and I've beat a record of most km in the amount of hours, lol!
We really enjoyed it, though, picked a wrong period to go with lots of school groups.
To a point where we were in inside buildings, people had to start shouting to keep moving, and to not push and shove as it was clogging up real bad.
Curious to see what the new bit will be about, and we barely managed to see it all in 1 day already, hehe.
Highlights were the Okapi, regardless of not seeing the baby (though the reason we decided to go very last minute), as I've not seen one since I moved from Belgium to England 5 years ago, and I could see them in Antwerp with my annual pass.
The tree kangaroos, and just in time to see the Sifaka jump from one end of the enclosure to the other.
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End of the summer term is classic 'school visit ' time. We had a terribly unenjoyable visit there one year because of that. Never again during that period. I do not understand why the zoos don't control their behaviour better.
As a former teacher, what do you propose the zoo should do differently?
Supervise the children at all times for a start. The amount of teachers (not all) that will leave groups to their own devices is shocking. In the hour and a half my zoo has been open this morning I've had to speak with two unattended teenagers about their behaviour.
This is a school problem, not a zoo one, unless you propose that the zoo takes action against the school. I repeat, what do you propose that the Zoo does?
Oops, I did misread your comment. Not much a zoo can do other than round the kids up and re-unite them with teachers.
As a former teacher, I can see both sides of the problem.
By this time of the school year I used to be almost totally exhausted; I still remember sitting in the sun beside the old Flint Pit paddock at Whipsnade nearly 40 years ago - I was watching a pair of wattled cranes and enjoying a few minutes of peace while trusting that my students would behave, which I think they did. I also remember thoroughly annoying my class at Regent's Park by insisting that we stayed together and looked at the animals when they just wanted to go the Gift Shop, while my colleagues' students were roaming around the zoo.
I do understand that things have become more difficult in schools since I moved on and I would not want to work in a school today. Of course I agree that the primary responsibility for the children's behaviour must be their teachers', hopefully with a senior teacher in charge of the party. Zoos can help by having appropriate facilities for zoo parties and some clear basic rules (no running, no shouting etc) and I firmly believe that there should be some simple but appropriate task for the children, agreed by the zoo and the school beforehand, so it is not just a day out for the children.
By this time of the school year I used to be almost totally exhausted; I still remember sitting in the sun beside the old Flint Pit paddock at Whipsnade nearly 40 years ago - I was watching a pair of wattled cranes and enjoying a few minutes of peace while trusting that my students would behave, which I think they did. I also remember thoroughly annoying my class at Regent's Park by insisting that we stayed together and looked at the animals when they just wanted to go the Gift Shop, while my colleagues' students were roaming around the zoo.
I do understand that things have become more difficult in schools since I moved on and I would not want to work in a school today. Of course I agree that the primary responsibility for the children's behaviour must be their teachers', hopefully with a senior teacher in charge of the party. Zoos can help by having appropriate facilities for zoo parties and some clear basic rules (no running, no shouting etc) and I firmly believe that there should be some simple but appropriate task for the children, agreed by the zoo and the school beforehand, so it is not just a day out for the children.
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Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
Without wishing to derail the thread away from Chester and into school children debate, I personally feel schools and zoos are handled rather badly.
I appreciate not all children want to learn about conservation, endangered animals, climate change etc, but I feel when schools book days at a zoo, it should be in a structured format. Every zoo should have a program which involves an amount of classroom time with a member of education staff, to talk to them about animals. There should be some form of enrichment creation and give the pupils satisfaction of seeing the animals being enriched from what they have done. Maybe have a private feeding session with Meerkats or Lemurs to help the children benefit from an amazing day out and go away not just learning about the animals and how they can do more for the environment, but give them an experience so they go away wanting to learn more.
I think the days of numbers of parents and teachers going to a zoo with hoards of pupils, often letting them run off to their own devices and do as they please, should not be allowed. There is meant to be supervision, but it seldom happens. This is not against the Schools or the Zoos, but every Zoo should have a managed education and school program and that the only way a large school group can visit, is by booking this procedure.
In my opinion, that is what a Zoo can do to make it a better experience all round. Recently I've been at two zoos where there was kids unsupervised, One place there was 3 teenage kids smoking around the back of an exhibit. I politely told them that smoking is not allowed at the zoo, and would they be kind enough to not smoke. They pretty much told me to do one, but in more unfavouring terms. I reported it to the next member of staff I saw, who said thanks, but then also said unless they see them doing it there is nothing they can do.
The other visit there was children with an adult present putting hands over a fence trying to touch an Asain Small-Clawed Otter. I immediately said something to the teacher, who to be frank looked as if they were more interested in what they were reading on their phone, than their children putting themselves in danger. This time, I didn't say anything to the zoo staff, as I was just shell-shocked that the supervising adult couldn't give a damn.
However the flip side of the coin, I was at a zoo in Hertfordshire and there was a school group, mainly of what I would class as pre school age. The teacher had them sing little songs back when she said something. There was a lot of organisation, well behaved and respectful children, all walking hand and hand and waiting patiently to see the animals, not taking up all the exhibit. If one of them shouted or done something wrong. The teacher stopped the whole group, got their attention and made them all repeat things after her, and then when they were behaved carried on with their visit. I was really impressed by the behaviour of this group and I observed them 2/3 times on that day. I even sent an email to the school in question (all pupils and teachers had the name of the zoo on jumpers), saying how impressed I was with the teacher and how the children behaved at a zoo, and that they were a credit to their school, and the teacher was doing an excellent job. I was quite pleased to have the email acknowledged as well. I also sent an email to the Zoo, saying that, the school group that visited that day was one of the best behaved I had ever seen, and the zoo should reach out to them, as if all schools were like this (especially this age group), then it would make it pleasant to visit when a zoo is busy full of school kids.
I must say, I tend to avoid zoos in the school holidays and also sometimes I've got to a car park and seen like ten coaches and my heart sinks. But I do think that if zoos created an education program which works with the national curriculum, then it would be so beneficial all round. I appreciate a lot of zoos do offer visits like this for schools, but I personally feel, zoos and schools should be working in a direction that this is the only way to visit and not give the option of a mass parent / teacher and pupil group, where supervision is sometimes suspect and behaviour is often very poor, as this does nobody any favours.
I appreciate not all children want to learn about conservation, endangered animals, climate change etc, but I feel when schools book days at a zoo, it should be in a structured format. Every zoo should have a program which involves an amount of classroom time with a member of education staff, to talk to them about animals. There should be some form of enrichment creation and give the pupils satisfaction of seeing the animals being enriched from what they have done. Maybe have a private feeding session with Meerkats or Lemurs to help the children benefit from an amazing day out and go away not just learning about the animals and how they can do more for the environment, but give them an experience so they go away wanting to learn more.
I think the days of numbers of parents and teachers going to a zoo with hoards of pupils, often letting them run off to their own devices and do as they please, should not be allowed. There is meant to be supervision, but it seldom happens. This is not against the Schools or the Zoos, but every Zoo should have a managed education and school program and that the only way a large school group can visit, is by booking this procedure.
In my opinion, that is what a Zoo can do to make it a better experience all round. Recently I've been at two zoos where there was kids unsupervised, One place there was 3 teenage kids smoking around the back of an exhibit. I politely told them that smoking is not allowed at the zoo, and would they be kind enough to not smoke. They pretty much told me to do one, but in more unfavouring terms. I reported it to the next member of staff I saw, who said thanks, but then also said unless they see them doing it there is nothing they can do.
The other visit there was children with an adult present putting hands over a fence trying to touch an Asain Small-Clawed Otter. I immediately said something to the teacher, who to be frank looked as if they were more interested in what they were reading on their phone, than their children putting themselves in danger. This time, I didn't say anything to the zoo staff, as I was just shell-shocked that the supervising adult couldn't give a damn.
However the flip side of the coin, I was at a zoo in Hertfordshire and there was a school group, mainly of what I would class as pre school age. The teacher had them sing little songs back when she said something. There was a lot of organisation, well behaved and respectful children, all walking hand and hand and waiting patiently to see the animals, not taking up all the exhibit. If one of them shouted or done something wrong. The teacher stopped the whole group, got their attention and made them all repeat things after her, and then when they were behaved carried on with their visit. I was really impressed by the behaviour of this group and I observed them 2/3 times on that day. I even sent an email to the school in question (all pupils and teachers had the name of the zoo on jumpers), saying how impressed I was with the teacher and how the children behaved at a zoo, and that they were a credit to their school, and the teacher was doing an excellent job. I was quite pleased to have the email acknowledged as well. I also sent an email to the Zoo, saying that, the school group that visited that day was one of the best behaved I had ever seen, and the zoo should reach out to them, as if all schools were like this (especially this age group), then it would make it pleasant to visit when a zoo is busy full of school kids.
I must say, I tend to avoid zoos in the school holidays and also sometimes I've got to a car park and seen like ten coaches and my heart sinks. But I do think that if zoos created an education program which works with the national curriculum, then it would be so beneficial all round. I appreciate a lot of zoos do offer visits like this for schools, but I personally feel, zoos and schools should be working in a direction that this is the only way to visit and not give the option of a mass parent / teacher and pupil group, where supervision is sometimes suspect and behaviour is often very poor, as this does nobody any favours.