First flamingo chick and a rare bird both arrive at WWT Llanelli!
Visitors were treated to a fantastic day at WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre on Sunday 7 July, enjoying not only the glorious sunshine but two special treats on their visit.
The first was the hatching of our very first flamingo chick for 2013! The chick is spending its time on the nest being brooded, but lucky visitors spotted it when its mother stood up to tend to it. Many more chicks are on the way, and our first arrival will become more visible over the next few days as it finds its feet and leaves the nest. The chick will spend the first two weeks at its parents’ side, and will then spend more time with other chicks away from mum and dad! Flamingo chicks grow an impressive 5mm on each leg every day for the first few weeks, so if you want to see the chick while it is still a white ball of fluff, make sure you visit soon!
While the excitement over the hatching continued at the flamingo house, there was excitement in the British Steel Hide as a lesser yellowlegs was spotted – for the first time ever here at WWT Llanelli! As the name suggests, the bird has striking bright yellow legs, and has spent the last couple of days on the NRA scrapes – a first for the life lists of many of our birders, as the bird is usually found in the Americas, and only a few pop up in Britain from time to time! To receive immediate updates of sightings of rare birds on the reserve, you can follow us on Twitter @WWTLlanelli.
