Slimbridge WWT Slimbridge WWT

I visited a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised to find a new tank for Common Mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus) in the "Toad Hall" section of the visitor centre.

I was trying to remember if I had seen the species anywhere before so did a quick search on zootierliste: I was surprised to find none listed and only three former holders. It seems that Slimbridge have bagged themselves quite a rarity (from a private keeper I presume).
 
robmv said:
I visited a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised to find a new tank for Common Mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus) in the "Toad Hall" section of the visitor centre.

I was trying to remember if I had seen the species anywhere before so did a quick search on zootierliste: I was surprised to find none listed and only three former holders. It seems that Slimbridge have bagged themselves quite a rarity (from a private keeper I presume).
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Cotswold Wildlife Park used to keep this species,but they were never on-show,I believe when they went out of them the group moved to Nigel Marvins private collection.
 
No, but I saw on T.V last night they want to bring in Electricity pylons from the Hinkley Power station to connect to the National Grid . Must be an additional danger for the Cranes?:(
 
I don't think torrent ducks were ever kept in any of WWT places. There is however a number of pairs kept in Germany by a private holder and breeding had begun. I will have more data on them early spring when will visit the place.
 
I finally saw the water shrews at Slimbridge today :) (plus Michaela Strachan feeding the swans for the Autumnwatch cameras).
The old African Pen has been drained and was being remodelled by a digger and a new flamingo house is being built behind it - I guess it will be for the greater flamingos who are rather overcrowded in their pen and house on the other side of the path.

Alan
 
Rhinopithecus said:
I don't think torrent ducks were ever kept in any of WWT places. There is however a number of pairs kept in Germany by a private holder and breeding had begun. I will have more data on them early spring when will visit the place.
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I believe that torrent ducks were kept at Pensthorpe some twenty plus years ago; I don't think that they lasted long.
 
the torrent ducks at Pensthorpe were collected as eggs by Mike Lubbock (then of the WWT) and Bill Makins (of Pensthorpe) on an expedition to Chile in 1981. They also brought back eggs from kelp and ashy-headed geese and Magellanic steamer ducks.
 
I think the flamingo moves have been completed. The Lesser flamingo flock is in the old Greater flamingo house and pen - opposite the Greaters in their new home in the old African pen. The Andeans are in the old Lesser enclosure along with old Mr James and a couple of young birds (a greater and a rosy I think).
I was surprised to see a male African pygmy goose with the white-backed ducks in the Tropical House; he is full-winged and very handsome. I didn't see a female, but the vegetation is very thick in there so it would be easy to miss one.

Alan
 
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Howmany Andeans are still kept at Slimbridge ?
And about the Spoonbilled plovers, are there any on display or are they all behind the scenes ?
 
vogelcommando said:
Howmany Andeans are still kept at Slimbridge ?
And about the Spoonbilled plovers, are there any on display or are they all behind the scenes ?
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I counted 21 Andeans (but I may have misidentified one or two).
The spoonbilled sandpipers are not on show. There is a relatively new wader aviary with avocets, black-winged stilts, redshank and ruff.

Alan
 
gentle lemur said:
I counted 21 Andeans (but I may have misidentified one or two).
The spoonbilled sandpipers are not on show. There is a relatively new wader aviary with avocets, black-winged stilts, redshank and ruff.

Alan
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Have they actually bred in the last few years?

If not, I would seriously advocate that the Andeans go to experienced and seasoned European bird (flamingo breeding) collections like Walsrode und Berlin Zoo.

Then Slimbridge could put in more effort in Chileans, European and the lesser one (especially this latter one). :)
 
Slimbridge hasn´t successfully bred any Andean flamingos in more then 20 years and because their group consists of mainly 50+ old imported birds, it is quickly vanishing. They had no Chilean chick in the last 7 years. Their first and last lesser flamingo chick hatched ca 5 years ago. The only flamingos they have a consistent breeding success are Greaters and Caribbeans.
 
Jana, how realistic would it be to expect the Andeans to breed in a different setting? Are they really too old?

As for the others: I would then favour for them to focus primarily on the Europeans and the lesser flamingos (and in esp. the latter species really try to crack the nut of breeding this sensitive species in a secluded quiet setting away from Joe Public).
 
Jana said:
Their first and last lesser flamingo chick hatched ca 5 years ago. The only flamingos they have a consistent breeding success are Greaters and Caribbeans.
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Not quite correct, a lesser flamingo was hatched and reared in 2011 at the WWT Llanelli from an egg laid at Slimbridge.

Alan
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Jana, how realistic would it be to expect the Andeans to breed in a different setting? Are they really too old?

As for the others: I would then favour for them to focus primarily on the Europeans and the lesser flamingos (and in esp. the latter species really try to crack the nut of breeding this sensitive species in a secluded quiet setting away from Joe Public).
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Crack the nut ?? Let them have a look at the enclosure at Zlen-Lasna
(http://www.zoochat.com/327/lesser-flamingo-breeding-zlin-lesna-307628/ )
posted by Jana on Zoochat !
 
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