Birdland Park & Gardens News from Birdland

ISOE said:
Do they even hold African Penguins any more? Someone I know visited a short while ago and when I asked about the Penguin exhibit they said they didn’t see any African Penguins...
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I visited on Thursday, and there were only Kings and Humboldts on show. No mention of Africans anywhere.
 
Alwaysevergreen said:
I thought the African Penguins went to
bird world in Surrey, not bird land in Bourton on the water ?
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Nope. They definitely went to Birdland. It was posted on their social media and website that they had received African Penguins from Bristol Zoo.
 
ISOE said:
Nope. They definitely went to Birdland. It was posted on their social media and website that they had received African Penguins from Bristol Zoo.
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Oh right. Surprising as on closing day at Bristol, on the Penguin talk, they said they were going to Birdworld in Surrey :/
 
Alwaysevergreen said:
Thanks. Wonder where they are then ? As I went to Birdland in November and was no signage for Africans or any sign of them.
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I’m not sure, it’s a bit odd. Does anyone know how many King Penguins they still hold? Some of them must be getting on a bit too.
 
Hi all,

I was going to make a thread about Birdland myself but I see there is one already here. (I’m still new to this site).

I used to frequent Birdland a lot about 20 years or so ago (how time flies) and I visited fairly recently and found it to be something of a shadow of its former self.

It wasn’t exactly cheap to go in and many of the enclosures/ exhibits looked very unclean, some of the houses were closed (if I remember it was the Toucan House). For a 21st century park some of the bird cages are also looking rather small for the sorts of birds that were in them.

As for the “Jurassic adventure” they keep trying to rebrand themselves as, the whole area was very overgrown and muddy, with a lot of the dinosaurs having broken parts or pieces missing, although we did go towards the end of the year.

I didn’t find the staff particularly very friendly at all either, and there was one incident I do remember (this was another time we visited) whereby one of the Humboldt penguins was clearly struggling on the ramp next to their pool , with a lot of the other penguins trampling it.

We tried to ask the keepers to intervene who told us “it’s normal behaviour” yet a few hours later the bird was motionless & they had to scoop it up in a black bag. Shocking.
 
GeeZee said:
(if I remember it was the Toucan House).
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There are no toucans at Birdland anymore - iirc that area now holds owls.
Imo Birdland is something of a decent collection - the housing is something of a 'dogs' breakfast' - there are some rather nice, attractive looking bits - the new sections for Africa and Parrots come to mind - though there are also some birdcages which could use something of a lighten-up - I recall finding one for domestic dove[?] rather small. Some areas of the park are fairly dated. [Look hard enough; you can find parrots being kept on sticks-and-barrels, something of a pitiful contrast to the new parrot extension which works well] The species collection is somewhat standard - a good variety of birds; but most species at Birdland can be found fairly easily elsewhere [though there are a few that can only be found here in the UK, even so.].
 
dillotest0 said:
There are no toucans at Birdland anymore - iirc that area now holds owls.
Imo Birdland is something of a decent collection - the housing is something of a 'dogs' breakfast' - there are some rather nice, attractive looking bits - the new sections for Africa and Parrots come to mind - though there are also some birdcages which could use something of a lighten-up - I recall finding one for domestic dove[?] rather small. Some areas of the park are fairly dated. [Look hard enough; you can find parrots being kept on sticks-and-barrels, something of a pitiful contrast to the new parrot extension which works well] The species collection is somewhat standard - a good variety of birds; but most species at Birdland can be found fairly easily elsewhere [though there are a few that can only be found here in the UK, even so.].
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I believe it was the Toucan house, maybe that’s why it was closed, when did the last Toucans leave? It must of been just before lockdown I last went, 2019/2020. I did go to Bourton recently, hence why it popped my mind - but not to visit the park this time.

When I used to go regularly, they always made a point about it being the only place in the UK (other than Edinburgh Zoo) to see the King Penguins, is that still the case?

Maybe it’s just me, but I think the Jurassic things should be just a temporary display such as over the summer (like Edinburgh Zoo) rather than a permanent fixture. That whole area, at least when I last went was just extremely tacky.
 
dillotest0 said:
Yes, that is still the case.
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I remember King Penguins at Whipsnade for many years. I even fed them one day.

The problem was each time they bred a chick, one of the adults died. Eventually the group (2.2 I think it was) was sent to Rotterdam.
 
GeeZee said:
When I used to go regularly, they always made a point about it being the only place in the UK (other than Edinburgh Zoo) to see the King Penguins, is that still the case?
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bongorob said:
I remember King Penguins at Whipsnade for many years.
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In addition to the king penguins at Whipsnade, I recall them being kept at London Zoo for years, on the pond at the foot of the Mappin Terraces.

I remember king penguins at various other UK zoos too (Bristol, Chessington etc) including the small zoo at Crystal Palace back in the 1960s.
 
Tim May said:
In addition to the king penguins at Whipsnade, I recall them being kept at London Zoo for years, on the pond at the foot of the Mappin Terraces.

I remember king penguins at various other UK zoos too (Bristol, Chessington etc) including the small zoo at Crystal Palace back in the 1960s.
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And Belle Vue, Manchester in 50's/60's
 
Tim May said:
In addition to the king penguins at Whipsnade, I recall them being kept at London Zoo for years, on the pond at the foot of the Mappin Terraces.

I remember king penguins at various other UK zoos too (Bristol, Chessington etc) including the small zoo at Crystal Palace back in the 1960s.
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I saw the group(10 birds at the time) at Bourton a few years ago, it was during the pandemic but you were allowed out by then. It was the first time I'd seen Kings in the UK for very many years, but I also remember them at London, Whipsnade, Bristol etc in the past.
 
Have any King Penguin chicks been hatched in recent years?
If not, when was the latest hatched?
 
dillotest0 said:
Have any King Penguin chicks been hatched in recent years?
If not, when was the latest hatched?
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I used to go here several times a year and, while it was a long time ago now I remember their seemingly being at least one chick hatched every year - I do remember their being 2 at the same time at one point too.

As someone mentioned - Lily, who was one of the best breeding king penguin - maybe in the world - sadly passed away last week at the grand age of 31.

I could be entirely wrong and it’s been a while since I last visited now but it may be as far back as 2014 when the last chick hatched now.
 
On July 3rd, the zoo announced that they acquired (0.0.6) Humboldt penguins from the Chessington Zoo in Chessington which are now on exhibit.

Penguins Flock to Birdland | Birdland Park & Gardens
Have you been to visit our... - Birdland Park and Gardens

On July 22nd, the zoo announced that (0.0.3) greater flamingos hatched which are now on exhibit.

We're delighted to introduce... - Birdland Park and Gardens

On August 8th, it was announced that they are acquiring (0.0.2+?) greater flamingos from Africa Alive Reserve in Suffolk.

An update on our flamingos. This... - Africa Alive Reserve
 
On September 8th, it was reported that (0.0.5) blacksmith plovers, (0.0.2+) Java sparrows, (0.0.2+?) speckled pigeons, (0.0.2+?) black-cheeked lovebirds, (0.0.2+?) village weavers, (0.0.2) grey peacock pheasants, a (0.0.1) red-billed quelea, a (0.0.1) galah and a (0.0.1) collared finchbill hatched in late summer. The finchbill hatchling was the first in the facility's history.

It was also reported that the zoo acquired (0.0.6) scarlet ibises, (0.0.2+?) azure-winged magpies, (0.0.2+?) masked plovers, and a (0.1) red-legged seriema from other unspecified facilities in the United Kingdom.

Adorable flamingo chicks born at Cotswolds wildlife park

On September 30th, the zoo announced they closed their Flamingo Point Cafe to the public to begin work on a new restaurant. The new onsite cafe (called The Nest: Kitchen and Cafe at Birdland) opened to the public on December 7th.

Work on our new Café starts on... - Birdland Park and Gardens
We were absolutely thrilled to... - Birdland Park and Gardens
The Nest Kitchen and Café at Birdland Park & Gardens

On November 15th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (0.1) grey-crowned crane named Sheila to the Dartmoor Zoo in Devon.

Love takes flight! Derek, our African Crowned Crane charmer, welcomes Sheila with open wings. They were married at first sight! Sheila, arriving... | By Dartmoor Zoological Society | Facebook
 
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