There are also now African Black Ducks on the lake, making Newquay one of a handful of UK zoos exhibiting this species.
Newquay Zoo Newquay Zoo News
- Thread starter redpanda
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The zoo have sent 1:0 Fossa 'Harry' to UAE to breed with a female there. I think this leaves Newquay fossa-less
Fossa on the move
Fossa on the move
This is indeed the case.
Any idea on the UAE facility taking in the fossa?
Pure speculation, but I would not be surprised in the slightest if it were Al-Bustan Zoo given the fact aforementioned collection does work alongside European breeding programmes.
@TLD, I was inclined to think same, but unsure and dare not speculate.
They have some news small felids and other rarities up there.
They have some news small felids and other rarities up there.
He's gone to the Al Mayya Sanctuary in Fujayrah, where he joins a female who was born at Duisburg.
It is a new private facility with some exotic animal stock and their curator is an Hungarian fellow. They recently took in a pygmy hippo too from France.Interesting; this is not a facility I have any knowledge about
I believe it started up as mainly a veterinary surgeon facility.
I enjoyed a very pleasant visit to Newquay yesterday. I packed my zoom lens so that I could photograph the new 'Gems of the Jungle' aviary and I have just posted a few images.
The outside walls are white plastic sheets, and there is a small indoor aviary beside the entrance lobby. Then through the second set of doors is the main flight.
This is more like a walk-round exhibit rather than a walk-through one, but the birds still fly overhead, particularly to the shelter and nestbox area to the right of the entrance - watch out for the hand-reared scissor-billed starlings which are happy to sit on your shoulder . There are 3 small aviaries at the far end and a larger one beside the exit doors. These are for species that need to be kept separate for one reason or another.
The aviary is intended for species from South East Asia, and features a fine collection of laughing-thrushes, including red-tailed, spotted and blue-crowned. I saw a white-headed laughing-thrush in one of the smaller aviaries and the zoo also has Sumatran laughing-thrush in another exhibit. There are also bleeding-heart doves, golden-breasted doves, pink-headed fruit pigeons and green-necked pheasant pigeons plus roul-roul, Pekin robins, Omei Shan liocichlas and a Palawan peacock pheasant hen (which is getting used to the exhibit before a male is introduced). I also saw nutmeg pigeons and a white-headed bulbul in the main shelter through the large pop-holes: further species may have been in there too. Two species that I don't think I have seen before are the rufous-bellied niltava and the collared finchbill.
The plastic sheeting will obviously protect the birds and the planting from windy conditions and the mild Cornish climate should suit these tropical species. It was a particular pleasure to see so many species out of doors, when they are normally kept in tropical houses - and I had plenty of subjects to photograph.
There are still some birds in the old Tropical House and the blue-crowned hanging parrots seem to be doing particularly well; I counted 14 and I probably missed some.
The outside walls are white plastic sheets, and there is a small indoor aviary beside the entrance lobby. Then through the second set of doors is the main flight.
. There are 3 small aviaries at the far end and a larger one beside the exit doors. These are for species that need to be kept separate for one reason or another.The aviary is intended for species from South East Asia, and features a fine collection of laughing-thrushes, including red-tailed, spotted and blue-crowned. I saw a white-headed laughing-thrush in one of the smaller aviaries and the zoo also has Sumatran laughing-thrush in another exhibit. There are also bleeding-heart doves, golden-breasted doves, pink-headed fruit pigeons and green-necked pheasant pigeons plus roul-roul, Pekin robins, Omei Shan liocichlas and a Palawan peacock pheasant hen (which is getting used to the exhibit before a male is introduced). I also saw nutmeg pigeons and a white-headed bulbul in the main shelter through the large pop-holes: further species may have been in there too. Two species that I don't think I have seen before are the rufous-bellied niltava and the collared finchbill.
The plastic sheeting will obviously protect the birds and the planting from windy conditions and the mild Cornish climate should suit these tropical species. It was a particular pleasure to see so many species out of doors, when they are normally kept in tropical houses - and I had plenty of subjects to photograph.
There are still some birds in the old Tropical House and the blue-crowned hanging parrots seem to be doing particularly well; I counted 14 and I probably missed some.
The nutmeg pigeons and niltava would both be lifeticks for myself; however I have seen the collared finchbill a few times - given the fact that Blackpool has held the species for some time now I am somewhat surprised you have not seen it before!
Which just shows how long it's been since I visited Blackpool (for reasons too boring to go into) and I'm sure you've seen dozens of nutmeg pigeons, a.k.a. Ducula bicolor
Ducula bicolor is the Pied; Ducula spilorrhoa is the Nutmeg
So it's slightly less exciting now you have clarified the species you actually meant. Unfortunately spilorrhoa is no longer held at Plzen, so I won't be seeing the species in June.
that looks like a great aviary. Especially when all the planting takes off it will look fantastic. Is Newquay the zoo which has the desert house as well, or is that elsewhere?
That'll be Newquay's sister zoo, Paignton that has the desert house.
oh yes, Paignton, thanks.
Ducula bicolor is the Pied; Ducula spilorrhoa is the Nutmeg
They are both called nutmegs as far as I can see, although of course they might not be separate species.
In addition I forgot a couple of species, the moustached laughing-thrush and the Oriental greenfinch. Incidentally that is the only finch species at the moment - it did strike me how nice it was not to see Java sparrows; I hasten to add that they are lovely birds, but I see them so often at Chester and Paignton that I appreciated the novelty.
Visited two days ago, and spent a lovely time reacquainting myself with the zoo after a lack of visits for the past couple of years.
The hanging parrots are still in the Tropical House and will move into a side aviary at the entrance of Gems of the Jungle soon, joining the likes of Pagoda starling and white-rumped shama.
The white-headed bulbuls are proving to be too aggressive for the main aviary (saw a chestnut-backed thrush with a missing eye as an example of this) so I would assume that they are to be moved out soon, if not removed from the zoo entirely.
The collared hill partridge, rufous-bellied niltava and white-crested laughingthrush are in separated aviaries in the main walkthrough.
Lots of birds on the nest; blue-crowned laughingthrush, collared finchbill and golden heart dove.
Good to finally see active Owston's civet in the nocturnal house, as well as the Hoffmann's two-toed sloth and the zoo's fantastic herps/invert collection in the Tropical House!
The hanging parrots are still in the Tropical House and will move into a side aviary at the entrance of Gems of the Jungle soon, joining the likes of Pagoda starling and white-rumped shama.
The white-headed bulbuls are proving to be too aggressive for the main aviary (saw a chestnut-backed thrush with a missing eye as an example of this) so I would assume that they are to be moved out soon, if not removed from the zoo entirely.
The collared hill partridge, rufous-bellied niltava and white-crested laughingthrush are in separated aviaries in the main walkthrough.
Lots of birds on the nest; blue-crowned laughingthrush, collared finchbill and golden heart dove.
Good to finally see active Owston's civet in the nocturnal house, as well as the Hoffmann's two-toed sloth and the zoo's fantastic herps/invert collection in the Tropical House!
1:0 European Lynx was born 5 weeks ago
Newquay Zoo & animal wildlife park, Newquay, Cornwall, South West UK
Newquay Zoo & animal wildlife park, Newquay, Cornwall, South West UK
Would that not be Carpathian lynx??