An update on the "making babies" boom
Slimbridge is still a veritable hive of flamingo breeding activity. With many Caribbean chicks toddling around their enclosure and Chilean nest building going through the roof (in a manner of speaking). The eminent re-arrival of another summer heat wave is also good news for developing eggs and newly hatched chicks. Bringing up a baby flamingo is hard work and you will be able to spot the parents of chicks by looking for those with less bright feathers, as is shown in the photo of a Caribbean flamingo below. I've mentioned about this change in appearance before, in other posts, but it is still weird to see. Flamingos with bright pink bodies and white heads and necks. See how many parents you can spot on your next visit.
As for the Chilean flamingos, they have been excavating pretty enormous nests. This is a natural behaviour that helps protect the eggs and chicks from extreme climates (especially flash flooding) but it can make it tricky for little flamingo chick legs to climb up and down from their nests.
To keep up with this mammoth building effort Phil, Sparky and Phoebe, during their rounds of monitoring the flocks and checking on eggs, have added sand into the enclosure around the nests, creating chick-sized ramps that will help any new arrivals to ascend and descend from their towering nest mounds with ease. A small pile of sand here can make a big difference to little flamingo legs. Such is the dedication and care of all the aviculture staff towards their exotic pink charges!
