Slimbridge WWT New developments at Slimbridge

gentle lemur

gentle lemur

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I visited Slimbridge a couple of days ago. They are building a new area behind the tropical house to display water voles, harvest mice and water shrews and they are redeveloping the old Tump pool for European otters. I can't help remembering that many years ago an otter escaped from its pen at Zurich and killed a pair of steamer ducks - just imagine what an escapee could do at Slimbridge!
The adjacent area will be redeveloped as 'Back from the brink' to show the wildlife of the Severn estuary in prehistoric times with cranes and wild cattle - the notice on the site mentions aurochs, so I wonder if they'll be getting some Munich 'reconstructions' or perhaps they'll go for white park cattle.
Does anyone know more about this? I'm going to be travelling past Slimbridge several times this year, so I'm thinking of joining the WWT which will be useful at Martinmere and their other sites too. I do want to see the water shrews!

Alan
 
Did you see any of the James and Andean flamingo Alan, and if so what are there numbers like?
 
All the flamingos were in their houses. The Andeans with the Chileans, there seemed to be about at least a dozen of them, but I didn't count them accurately. There were about 10 James's, with about double the number of lessers in the old Andean house. The lesser's old house has gone to make way for the new developments, but I'm not sure how permanent these arrangements will be. I only spotted juvenile birds in the flock of greaters, but it wasn't easy to view all the birds in the houses (except for the lessers and James's where you can walk into the house).

Alan
 
It would be really interesting to know the sex ratio of the Andeans, James's and lesser flamingos. All species are under threat and it is of some importance that zoos and captive-breeding centres finally get some breeding success from these birds.

Small breeding flocks of Andeans and James's are also maintained at Zoo Berlin. And there are rumours that a private facility in Germany is assembling all lone and small flock birds of Andeans and James's to try for good breeding flocks. Interestingly, in these high altitude South American species numbers are not that that important as birds seem to breed well when a good sex ratio of say 8-10 birds exists. I suppose that is due to the fact that in their natural habitat they are often well spread out over the high Andes mountain lakes and thus flock stimulation is less likely (finding a partner ... is :D)!
 
that sounds great, slimbridge is high on my list of places to visit, how many type of flamingos do they have?
 
gentle lemur said:
I can't help remembering that many years ago an otter escaped from its pen at Zurich and killed a pair of steamer ducks - just imagine what an escapee could do at Slimbridge!
Alan
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I wouldn't risk keeping Otters anywhere near all those waterfowl...

Does Slimbridge still have the very extensive 'World Waterfowl' collection it used to have, or have they turned away from that now? I believe there was some controversy in the past(post Peter Scott) over them just keeping a large 'postage stamp' collection of Pinioned waterfowl species.
 
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Tigerlemurguy said:
that sounds great, slimbridge is high on my list of places to visit, how many type of flamingos do they have?
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All six. I have just checked on ISIS - and their figures don't match my visual counts (surprise, surprise :rolleyes:). Personally, I believe my own eyes, with the reservations I have mentioned already, but here are the ISIS numbers.

Lesser 25
Andean 28
James 3
Caribbean 95
Greater 203
Chilean 15

If you want to visit any WWT centre, try to do so before the end of March - before most of the wild birds leave and the drakes start to moult out of their breeding plumage.

Alan
 
Pertinax said:
Does Slimbridge still have the very extensive 'World Waterfowl' collection it used to have, or have they turned away from that now? I believe there was some controversy in the past(post Peter Scott) over them just keeping a large 'postage stamp' collection of Pinioned waterfowl species.
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I visited Slimbridge quite frequently in the early 70's, just as the Trust was developing new centres at Martinmere, Washington etc. I have only visited a couple of times since.
It's not possible to get a complete picture from a short mid-winter visit, when some more delicate species may be shut away from the weather or in temporary quarters while the development work is in progress and others may be hiding at the back of one of the bigger pens. But I know that many of the sea ducks and species from fast flowing waters are now kept at Arundel (which I would love to visit) - because of the quality of the water. The only sawbills I saw at Slimbridge were smew and hooded mergansers and the only sea ducks were common eiders. I think this answers the stamp-collecting point. I'm not sure how specialised the other centres are - does anyone know?
I think that the addition of cranes is entirely appropriate now that they have added Wetlands to the title and the move into mammals such as water voles and beavers follows on. I see you share my doubts about the otters - I hope they aren't a bridge too far.

Alan
 
gentle lemur said:
All six. I have just checked on ISIS - and their figures don't match my visual counts (surprise, surprise :rolleyes:). Personally, I believe my own eyes, with the reservations I have mentioned already, but here are the ISIS numbers.

Lesser 25
Andean 28
James 3
Caribbean 95
Greater 203
Chilean 15

If you want to visit any WWT centre, try to do so before the end of March - before most of the wild birds leave and the drakes start to moult out of their breeding plumage.

Alan
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Slimbridges ISIS figures used to include all the other WWT centres and not just their own not sure if this is still the case.Also some of Slimbridges Lesser Flamingos are on breeding loan at Hillside at the moment.
 
I have not heard much about this place for many years, was it Sir Peter Scott who started this place?
 
thanks alot for that alan, i will take your advice but it is a little far for just a day trip for me.
 
The only torrent ducks that I am aware of having been exhibited in the UK in recent years were at Pensthorpe some years back . Blackbrook seem to have a much more comprehensive collection of ducks and geese these days than WWT .
 
Blackbrook is the best public waterfowl collection in the UK.

I last went to Maritn Mere in 1995 and Slimbridge in 1986 and I think both centres have a lot less stock than they had previously. I went to Arundel in 1997 to se the Blue Ducks. I've not been to any of the other centres.
 
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Forgive my ignorance .. :) but what collection is meant by Hillside?
Secondly, does this infer the observations made by zoogiraffe are correct and that the ISIS data concern ALL WWT collections?
Thirdly, are any of the rarer flamingo species (lesser, Andean or James') regularly breeding at Slimbridge?
 
jelle said:
Forgive my ignorance .. :) but what collection is meant by Hillside?
Secondly, does this infer the observations made by zoogiraffe are correct and that the ISIS data concern ALL WWT collections?
Thirdly, are any of the rarer flamingo species (lesser, Andean or James') regularly breeding at Slimbridge?
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Hillside Bird Oasis is a private collection owned by the owners of Blackbrook Zoo and they have bred the Lesser Flamingos on a number of occasions.
As for the number of Flamingos the figures look about right for what i have seen at Slimbridge apart from the Greaters and Caribbeans which seem to be alot higher than i remember,so i would guess the answer is yes and no.
As for breeding the 3 James are all the same sex so they are a no,as for the Andean they normally get a couple of chicks a year but probably lose about the same from the older birds,the Lessers bred once back in 2006 and nothing since hence the move of some of them to Hillside to try to kick start them.
 
jwer said:
Notice that GentleLemur allready spotted more then the 3 males mentioned at ISIS, so there's bound to be at least some females...?
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I did note that but i still maintain that they have only got the 3 Males i would love to be proved wrong but don`t think i am.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Forgive my ignorance .. :) but what collection is meant by Hillside?
Secondly, does this infer the observations made by zoogiraffe are correct and that the ISIS data concern ALL WWT collections?
Thirdly, are any of the rarer flamingo species (lesser, Andean or James') regularly breeding at Slimbridge?
Click to expand...
Have done some checking on ISIS it would apear that all the centres are now listed on their own and not as a collective to find them look for the following on ISIS
Barnes = London WWT
Burscough = Martin Mere WWT
Tyne Wear = Washington WWT
WLDFWL TR = Arundel WWT
Slimbridg = Slimbridge WWT
Llanelli = Llanelli WWT

I can find no mention of Castle Espie on ISIS have searched all the species i can rember they kept when i visited a few years ago but nothing for them on ISIS under those species so i presume for some reason they are not on ISIS.
 
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