Chester Zoo Special Event with Curator of Birds, Andrew Owen

Thank you to Andrew for a great tour of the birds of the zoo - much enjoyed.

Thank you as well to SMR and zoogiraffe for organising a fab event for us yet again.

I've had a great day. I'm by no means an expert on birds but I've learnt loads today - thank you :-)
 
I really enjoyed myself today! Many thanks to Zoogiraffe and SMR for organizing the event, and thanks to Andrew for sharing his time and expertise. I learnt alot about a part of the zoo, which sadly, some overlook.
 
I've gotta agree with everybody here, a big thank you to zoogiraffe and SMR for organizing this event, and of course a big thank you for Andrew for taking the time to show us around :) It was certainly a great day.
 
An excellent event - the best yet - and thanks to everyone involved. The sheer number of species and specimens involved in the bird collection makes it much more difficult to "keep up" and I learned a lot.
 
Thanks from me and Chris too! Even though we're already "bird people" there was a lot on the tour we would perhaps not normally go to see and it was great to hear more about each species and about the direction the zoo is going in.
 
I can only echo everyone else's thanks to Andrew, ZG and SMR.

An incredibly thorough review of the bird collection status - great day.
 
Well all I can say is thanks for everyone making it such an enjoyable day and echo my thanks to Andrew for his time and SMR for his help.

Looking at Robmv comments the gaunlet has been thrown down to which ever of the zoo`s Curators does the next one to make the next one even better than this one.

So seeing as I know the Curators will read this which one of you fancy taking on the CHALLENGE!!!
 
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Maguari said:
I can only echo everyone else's thanks to Andrew, ZG and SMR.

An incredibly thorough review of the bird collection status - great day.
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There is nothing to add to Maguari's post. He has said it all. The walk and talk was very enjoyable.
 
I hope someone will be in the chatroom later to give us non attenders a flavour of the day, sounded as though it was a massive success (again), well done all.
 
zoogiraffe, I'm green with envy. I wish you could work your magic on other zoos. Or maybe give us some tips on how to win over suspicious zoo staff :)
 
Gigit said:
zoogiraffe, I'm green with envy. I wish you could work your magic on other zoos. Or maybe give us some tips on how to win over suspicious zoo staff :)
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Well the first thing you need is a senior member of staff brave enough to give it ago even if the senior management in the zoo don`t fully support it,after that you just need to build up the trust between the zoo and zoochat members that attend the events!
 
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I'm really pleased everyone enjoyed the day because it did take me quite a while to organise. We have to thank both Andrew for all his time, and Mark Pilgrim for giving the event the go-ahead and his support.

The goals of the day were to allow people to get a better idea of Chester's bird collection and to raise its profile in general, both of which I think we succeeded in doing. Hopefully we can repeat the event next year when some of the developments Andrew discussed have taken place.
 
I would also like to add my thanks to everyone involved. I don't usually pay much attention to the birds so was great to learn more about them. And although they weren't visible on Saturday I managed to see one of the Southern Cassowary today and there fantastic looking birdies :) .
 
This is my first visit to ZC since the Birding event on saturday and I can only echo everything that has already been said thanks wise - thouroughly enjoyed myself and learned an awful lot about the bird collection at the zoo. Andrew is a great talker on his subject and is obviously very knowledgable so please add my thanks to the oodles that you are taking back to him. I was even more impressed that he managed to get both types of Tragopan to sit still long enough for me to get some photos (you have no idea how many hours I have spent lurking around those aviaries in vain hope of a photographic opportunity). Thanks to SMR & Zoogiraffe for the organisation too - yep I'm up for any visit and especially like the sound of an EAZA special and RORA event maybe, oh yes and the Hunting Dogs too lets not forget then - looking forward to 2011 already!
 
karoocheetah said:
I was even more impressed that he managed to get both types of Tragopan to sit still long enough for me to get some photos (you have no idea how many hours I have spent lurking around those aviaries in vain hope of a photographic opportunity).
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I know, I was amazed to see both. I didn't get any good pics of the Cabot's (which was in the same spot as the week before), but I got my first picture of the Temminck's :)

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Just back to the frozen wastes after my expedition south. I have to add my thanks again to all involved in arranging the event, as well as to Andrew for giving up an entire day to us!!!

I'd echo all of the praise for the event and for our host and then some!

I never expected such an in depth review of the bird collection, and I learned a lot, not just about the collection at Chester but about bird collections generally. Definitely picked up a few tips too! ;)

I left the photography to others despite lugging all my camera gear around all day. I wanted to focus my attention on hour host. :)

A great event and I hope I can attend more like it! It was nice to meet everyone too. :D

bongorob said:
Am I the only person who ALWAYS sees the Cabot's Tragopan?
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I have to say that I have in fact seen it 100% of the times I've looked for it. (Having only been there to look at it once, and it was there haha).
 
I have to say that I have in fact seen it 100% of the times I've looked for it. (Having only been there to look at it once, and it was there haha).

you see THIS kind of zoo smugness really is bad form old bean :D
 
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