Christmas flamingos 2014

20 December 2014

A final post before the New Year. The Slimbridge flamingos have been benefitting from the milder weather this past week or so, with all flocks being able to out and about rather than confined to their indoor houses. Much activity in the greater and Caribbean flocks this week (perhaps they are getting excited by the imminent arrival of Father Christmas?!) with several birds starting the first attempts at courtship that will eventually turn into the 2015 breeding season. In fact, the Caribbean flamingos were first recorded by one of the Slimbridge avics as starting to wing salute and head flag back in the middle of November.

Pinking up! Three greater flamingos at WWT Slimbridge beginning to show signs of their pretty pink breeding colours.

And there's the first stirrings of courtship display too... A very tall pink bird, with a slightly paler one in front think about doing some head-flagging.

And even some wing salutes. This greater flamingo has moulted out some of its bright pink/red wing feathers but feels amorous enough to still try and flirt with its neighbours!

Flamingos do not have a regimented seasonal breeding cycle, say as swans or geese do, so they can start their courtship display at any time of the year. So these birds are not weird or out-of-synch by starting early, they might just be in a more flirtatious mood. Perhaps they are individuals that didn't breed this year and hence are super-charged ready for 2015? Indeed, some of the very tall and very pink greater flamingos are birds that we often see courting, but who we see less often as part of a nesting pair. So these birds may have some role in getting the flock organised for mass courtship display in the spring.

The greater flamingos' next door neighbours are also "in the pink" and have coloured up in a big way. If you are visiting Slimbridge over the festive season, be sure to head over to the lesser flamingos and check out their amazing plumage. They really are looking at their best at present.

Having a wash and brush up. A couple of very bright pink lesser flamingos, compared against some birds that are starting to change from a lighter to a more vivid plumage colour.

Should we call this bird Taylor Swift... Shaking it off after a bath? :-) One of the brightest members of the Slimbridge lesser flamingo flock keeps its feathers nice and clean. — Should we call this bird Taylor Swift... Shaking it off after a bath? :-)One of the brightest members of the Slimbridge lesser flamingo flock keeps its feathers nice and clean.

The avics have been working really hard to change some aspects of the lesser flamingos' house so that the birds can feed in a manner that suits them better. By providing them with a large, shallow feeding area, birds can feed together with other flamingos that they like and they can move out of the way of birds that are less keen on. This means that the flamingos can feed in peace, for longer, with less squabbles and less arguments with other couples that they might not get on with.

Here's the birds feeding in their new indoor pool (sorry it's a bit dark, the weather was not the best!).

[yframe url='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DsCKRAbFvw&list=UUp41rC1pWyYfO5RLXe6VUMg']

And here's a clip of the birds out feeding in their pool on a much sunnier, much nicer winter day. The lesser flamingos love the shallow water that gets the sun, for it is home to all kinds of small aquatic creatures for them to filter out. http://youtu.be/OjbUjj8IQlE

And a final note from the Andeans. These grand old pensioners are also getting in the mood. A lot brighter and a lot pinker than a few months ago... just in time for Christmas!