Birdworld

The sun was still shining so we decided to take a trip to Birdworld. It was a reasonable day out but we would not go back. On the website it looks wonderful but many of the attractions were over rated. It was more expensive than our recent trip to Marwell Zoo and it only took us an hour or so to see everything. The food in the Cafe was reasonable and helped to while away the time. Under water world consisted of about a dozen very grubby tanks and took about 5 minutes to walk through.The childrens Farm did not have very much and the sea shore walk was a small pond with a boat by the side of it. Their were some pretty birds and a 20 minute talk in the heron theatre where a few birds did a few tricks.
The biggest attraction for us was the solony of wild herons that nest their and were frequently seen flying over head or landing by the ponds.

BirdWorld

Frogs in the Murky aquarium.

The Sun is here.

After a sunny but windy weekend, it was good to wake up to more sunshine. We decided to go for a drive in the Forest. Our First stop was at Denny Woods to feed the birds. This proved a little difficult as first a hungry pony came along and scoffed the seed and then a group of grey squirrels ate the nuts. Woody put in a brief appearance before we moved down to Eyeworth pond. The Mandarin ducks are very puffed up and we also saw some mallards . A pair of canada geese have also decided to hang around so maybe we will see goslings and ducklings in a few weeks. We then had a quick drive theorugh the Forest looking for foals but so far we haven't seen one. On our way home we spotted the biggest pig I have ever seen snoozing by the road.

Pony eating the bird food

Squirrel eating the bird food.

A Mandarin admires his reflection.

A mallard duck flies over the pond at Eyeworth

As we drove home we came across this enormous pig sitting by the side of the road.

On Frozen Pond

We took a quick trip to Eyeworth Pond today. the ducks looked a little bemused as they skated across the ice.

Looking for the Woodpecker

We went back to Denny Woods again today and waited for the Woodpecker. He made several appearances but kept trying to hide behind the trees. It was a bit like the sun that kept disappearing behind the clouds! Just before we left we stopped at the gate lower down where somebody had hung up some fat balls in little nets, and finally we got some clear views of him.
Whilst we were waiting for him we were entertained by the antics of the grey squirrels, who were after the bird food.

Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Cheeky Squirrel stealing the bird food
Woodpecker on a fat ball left in the forest. I do wish people would not use these nets as I have heard that the birds can get caught in them.

Some More Photos from Marwell Zoo

I have posted a few more photos from our Zoo trip. Marwell is not a big Zoo, but many of its animals are threatened with extinction in the wild. They have several successful breeding programmes and part of the entrance fee includes a donation to a conservation project .This year it is for the Cheetahs.
In the Encounter Village you walk through small enclosures where the animals are very close. It was lovely to see the little Joey peeping out of his Mother's pouch and to be able to get so close to the Tamarins.

More Photos From Marwell

Golden Lion Tamarin
Meerkat
Ring Tailed Coati
Sulawesi crested Macaques
Rhino

A Visit to the Zoo

I know Zoos are a controversial topic,and I have mixed feelings. I love to see the wild animals but accept that Zoos are not always able to provide the right environments for them.Sadly many animals are so threatened in their native lands that Zoos play an important role in breeding and conservation.
Yesterday we went to Marwell Zoo for the day. it was dull and overcast and at times the conditions were not the best for photography but we enjoyed the outing Todays Photos are of the Big cats we saw.

Marwell Zoo

Amur leopard
Amur tiger
Cheetah
Snow leopard
Amur Leopard

Signs of Spring

Finally signs of Spring are appearing. After walking the dogs this morning we had a coffee with Jean and admired the flowers in her beautiful garden. jean has a wonderful collection of Hellebores. Sadly the sun was not shining but I hope to go back when it is. Her crocuses and snowdrops are also giving a wonderful display.

Snowdrops
crocuses
Hellebores
Hellebores
Hellebores

Finally a Woodpecker!

I have been waiting for ages to get a decent shot of a greater Spotted woodpecker. We were given a tip off that the campsite at Denny Wood was a good place to look. Today was our fourth visit and finally we got him, In fact there were a pair. The really annoying thing was that on our last visit we were busy watching some birds a little way in the woods when another birdwatcher asked us if we had got the Woodpecker that was sitting on the gate where a few minutes before we had been taking pictures of tits and nuthatches. Now I want one of him just a little closer!

A Trip To Eyeworth Pond.

Today we took a trip to Eyeworth Pond. The sun decided to shine on us and we spent a couple of hours taking photos. One of the resident ponies likes to try and get the bird food and he can be a bit of a nuisance. Here he is having a laugh as he tries to drive us away from the food. We counted 14 Male Mandarins on the pond , but only 5 females. However the females are less easy to see at a distance so there may be more. it was very pleasant to enjoy the sun whilst watching the birds,.

female mandarin Duck
Male mandarins
Nuthatch
Bluetit
Forest pony with his eye on the bird food.

Bird watching at Denny Wood

Today karen and I decided to find a new location to feed and watch the birds. We drove to Denny Wood campsite and soon found a suitable location. There were plenty of birds around and we soon had some visitors to our nuts and seed. I really like this photo of a chaffinch against the sky. We had the usual tits and finches and it was good to actually get two nuthatches in the same photo. Although we didn't see a greater Spotted Woodpecker today we know they are around and we hope we will see one on our next visit. After the cold of last week and yesterdays rain we sat in warm sunshine today. Spring may be on its way!