Twycross zoo trip 2018

AdrianW1963

AdrianW1963

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Will be visiting Twycross this Friday weather permitting, will be going by public transport from Atherstone.
I was wondering where the following species are on exhibit among the collection (list taken from zootierliste

Asian blue quail (Chinese painted quail)
Black-cheeked lovebird
Black-crowned night heron
Black-necked weaver
Blue-and-yellow macaw
Bourke's parrot
Chestnut-eared finch
Coconut lorikeet
Demoiselle crane
Elegant parrot
Glossy ibis
Greater Vasa Parrot
Green-winged macaw
Grey Peacock-Pheasant
Hamerkop
Humboldt penguin
Java sparrow
Lesser rhea (Darwin`s rhea)
Little egret
Little pied cormorant
Mexican green military macaw
Northern grey hornbill*
Orange-winged amazon
Pied Imperial-Pigeon
Pink-backed pelican
Plum-headed parakeet
Puna ibis
Red-crested turaco (Pink-crested touraco)
Red-crowned crane (Japanese crane) (Manchurian crane)
Red-fronted macaw
Red-legged seriema (Crested seriema)
Red-shouldered teal (Ring-necked teal)
Scarlet ibis
Scarlet-chested parrot (Splendid grass-parakeet)
Silvery-cheeked hornbill
Speckled pigeon (Guinea pigeon) (African rock-pigeon) (No Subspecific status)
Spectacled Owl (No Subspecific status)
Turquoise parrot
Ural Owl (No Subspecific status)
Victoria crowned-pigeon
Village weaver (No Subspecific status)
Waldrapp (Northern bald ibis)
Western cattle egret (Buff-backed heron)
White-naped crane (Japanese white-necked crane)
White-rumped mannikin (Bengal finch)
Yellow-shouldered amazon

Will also be having a quick look around the nature reserve? if anyone wants any photographs just drop me a line and will update with any info I pick up on here early next week.
 
With any luck you should see the majority of those species. Don't miss out the walk-through aviary in the pets area behind the entrance or the Borneo longhouse.
 
AdrianW1963 said:
Will be visiting Twycross this Friday weather permitting, will be going by public transport from Atherstone.
I was wondering where the following species are on exhibit among the collection (list taken from zootierliste

Asian blue quail (Chinese painted quail)
Black-cheeked lovebird
Black-crowned night heron
Black-necked weaver
Blue-and-yellow macaw
Bourke's parrot
Chestnut-eared finch
Coconut lorikeet
Demoiselle crane
Elegant parrot
Glossy ibis
Greater Vasa Parrot
Green-winged macaw
Grey Peacock-Pheasant
Hamerkop
Humboldt penguin
Java sparrow
Lesser rhea (Darwin`s rhea)
Little egret
Little pied cormorant
Mexican green military macaw
Northern grey hornbill*
Orange-winged amazon
Pied Imperial-Pigeon
Pink-backed pelican
Plum-headed parakeet
Puna ibis
Red-crested turaco (Pink-crested touraco)
Red-crowned crane (Japanese crane) (Manchurian crane)
Red-fronted macaw
Red-legged seriema (Crested seriema)
Red-shouldered teal (Ring-necked teal)
Scarlet ibis
Scarlet-chested parrot (Splendid grass-parakeet)
Silvery-cheeked hornbill
Speckled pigeon (Guinea pigeon) (African rock-pigeon) (No Subspecific status)
Spectacled Owl (No Subspecific status)
Turquoise parrot
Ural Owl (No Subspecific status)
Victoria crowned-pigeon
Village weaver (No Subspecific status)
Waldrapp (Northern bald ibis)
Western cattle egret (Buff-backed heron)
White-naped crane (Japanese white-necked crane)
White-rumped mannikin (Bengal finch)
Yellow-shouldered amazon

Will also be having a quick look around the nature reserve? if anyone wants any photographs just drop me a line and will update with any info I pick up on here early next week.
Click to expand...
If I'm not mistaken, the Darwin's rhea left the collection at Twycross back in 2016 and were replaced by the Nyala. I believe they were first kept at somepoint back in 2010 (at around the same time the cassowary left)
 
I'm fairly sure they no longer have the Little Pied Cormorants -not seen for a while (happy to be corrected).

The Victoria-crowned Pigeon is in the Butterfly "House".
 
Shorts said:
I'm fairly sure they no longer have the Little Pied Cormorants -not seen for a while (happy to be corrected).

The Victoria-crowned Pigeon is in the Butterfly "House".
Click to expand...
I'm sure you are right about the Cormorants, I haven’t seen one for at least the last 2 visits, so probably at least 2 years and I always saw one before that, it would usually be on the path or the railing.
 
The bourke's parrot are in the walk through aviary in pets at twycross. This is the same for the Java sparrow and Bengal finch
 
Many thanks folks for the information weather not looking to good for Friday so will now be visiting on Saturday 03rd Feb will update here after visit again many thanks folks for the info.
 
Many thanks for the info will be going tomorrow 29/01/2018 as I have got my sister to cover the caring for me, so off to Rutland water again on Saturday.
 
Just for those who like me have to use public transport their is a bus that leaves Atherstone Rail station around 10am and arrives at Twycross Zoo at 10.22am (inside zoo grounds) and returns around 15.25pm for the return journey other wise it's the same bus but a 25 minute walk hope this helps people who use PT.
 
Arrived around 10.10am on a bright but chilly morning, not surprising the collection was very quiet after the cut price entry last weekend.

On this visit it was my intention to look around the bird collection they now have as I hadn’t visited for over 4 years (doesn’t seem that long) but I took to looking at the improvements more closely than expected.

On entering the collection I took my usual route that was the old monkey house holding Black & White Ruffed Lemur, Crowned Lemur (one of my favourite species), & Black Howler Monkey to be honest I think it’s about time that this building was removed or totally refurbished as it looked dated and the viewing windows well were to say the least impossible to see through (it was the same virtually all round the zoo, this could be down to the weather).

My best part of the collection now and I was very impressed with the building and the way they had designed the outdoor exhibits the Gibbon Forrest exhibit as well was a great improvement for the zoo it has plenty of viewing windows inside and on the warmer days as plenty of viewing room around the outside exhibits as well.

One of my pet hates about this collection as to be the so-called path design on a day like today it was awful to walk on very slippy in places and very muddy in others this surely needs to be tarmacked over for safety if not for the comfort of the visitors.

Now onto the Borneo Longhouse once a great bird collection inside now a rundown poor exhibit one side of the exhibit (right side as you walk in from the Flamingo side) is just a muddy wet area if it was managed right and netted back over I am sure it could be a wetland area but what was there today was just awful on the eye. The other side was a little better with the usual run of the mill Egrets, Glossy Ibis, Black crowned night heron, Demioselle crane & Speckled Pigeon quite disappointing really a good exhibit in it’s day but I’m afraid it could do with replacing after what I saw today.

On a brighter note the Owl Exhibits look a lot better that the last time I visited, and they now give the birds more room to fly around in and are much better on the visitor’s eye as well.

Now for the Explorers Zone (children’s zoo as I call it), this place probably looks great in the summer but in the middle of winter it’s a little off putting yet they have a good selection of species around the area for children and even the older person like myself some great small bird species loved the small walk through aviary and being able to sit inside and watch the birds for a while was more than I expected.

The aviaries in between the indoor pet exhibits shall we just say please refurb asap the Butterfly house was having a thinning out of plants by the look of it, this didn’t alter my enjoyment of the exhibit in fact it probably made it better as the butterflies were all lively only thing was it took me 10 minutes to see through my glasses after entering the exhibit.

Now for the highlights of the day many young/babies on display from monkeys to Kirk’s dik-dik but the best thing’s for me seeing the (4) Snow leopards out together this was a first for me as I had never seen one let alone all 4 before on my previous visits this can also be said about the beautiful Amur Leopards again all 4 were out and I think the male was the only one by itself as the other 3 were interacting really well and giving great views.

The kirk's Dik-Dik baby was inside but you could see it through the gaps in the bamboo screening, if you stand back from the window you get great views as there are hardly any reflections in the window.

The Mitchie's Tufted Deer appear to more room these days and both were giving great views in the after noon sun couldn't they extend this exhibit into the unused one next to it at the end?

Didn't go and see the Chimpanzee's as I am not one for Chimps but did see the Bonobo's out side with the youngster playing around and making the adults sit up and take notice of him/her.

No sign of the Little Cormorant and a few of the bird species on the list at the start of this thread have left the collection or are no longer with us.

The Elephants were all blocked off and the Giraffe’s were not on display until late in the day there were a few no shows these being the Yellow-Throated Pine Martin, The Western Grey Kangaroo & The Red Necked Wallabies.

Also, there were a few empty Exhibits would be interesting to see what fills these exhibits mind you a little refurbishment is needed to most for the collection to move forward.

I have given my review with open eyes and would just like to say I will be returning to the collection again soon.

Overall the collection is moving forward and seems to be going in the right direction a good day out with a good selection of species, mind you could do with a reptile house and aquarium for the future improvements would not hesitate to return in the future to see how it’s improving.
 
Hi Adrian;

Thanks for the review. Sadly this time of year the condensation is terrible at Twycross and the viewing is nigh impossible in some exhibits. Late spring and summer this is not a problem, but always is this time of year.

You say the Elephants were blocked off, do you mean the path after the Giraffe's on the left or do you mean the house. I was under the impression that whilst crate training had started, the Elephant's weren't moving to Blackpool until April/May so I am surprised if their outside section is blocked off?

As for the Amur Leopards, I thought the youngsters were leaving this year so again surprised they were still with the mother as I thought they were in the process of being weaned. Would be nice if they are staying now.

The Kangaroo's and Wallabies are next to Gibbon's so they may have been in the house if it was cold, but they were moved there last autumn.

I've been several times and never seen the Pine Martin so you're not alone there!

You were lucky to see the Snow Leopard's. I've been to Twycross 4 times in the last year and never seen them once, and was starting to wonder if it was an empty exhibit!

Glad you had a nice time, but if you want to get over the condensation, my advice would be to wait until it's warmer. In Winter it's a nightmare.
 
AdrianW1963 said:
Amur Leopards again all 4 were out and I think the male was the only one by itself as the other 3 were interacting really well and giving great views.
Click to expand...

Zooreviewsuk said:
As for the Amur Leopards, I thought the youngsters were leaving this year so again surprised they were still with the mother as I thought they were in the process of being weaned. Would be nice if they are staying now.
Click to expand...
When I was there last week, a wooden barricade was in place creating 3 outdoor sections, although I did wonder if internally there was still access for the youngsters to mix with mum.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top