Team Chilean at Washington
There's a real flurry of activity going on at WWT Washington. Chilean flamingo eggs have been winging their way from various WWT flocks to Washignton in Tyne and Wear where they have been placed into the experienced care of Owen and his team of aviculturists. Eggs laid too late in the season at Slimbridge and Martin Mere, as well as some eggs from Chester Zoo, will make welcome additions to the flock of this birds at Washington.
The flamingo breeding season is quite a tight affair. Eggs that are laid too late in the summer will require hand-rearing so that they grow up in tip-top condition over the autumn period. This movement of "late" eggs between different flocks is also useful for the long-term health and viability of the flamingos as it mixes up the different gene pools of each captive group, ensuring that all future young will be fit and strong.
Of the eggs moved to Washington, six have currently hatched (but stand by for future updates!) and these new little grey bundles have been named "Jay", "Mickey", "Marty", "Charlie", "Rambo" and "Newby" by their human foster parents. The first egg hatched on the 7th September and the others were not far behind. Hand-rearing flamingos is a time consuming job that requires dedication and commitment from the human surrogate mothers and fathers. However, it is a very rewarding task when these chicks turn into bright pink adults that can be added to the flocks out in the centre grounds.
WWT has much precedent in hand-raising flamingos. Owen & co. have done this in previous years at Washington, and Phoebe and the Slimbridge Duckery team raised several Chilean chicks in 2011 that can now be seen wading around with the adult flock. As I write, three more eggs are starting to rock and cheep, a sure indicator that a new flamingo will rapidly appear into the big, wide world. Here's to the continued success with these new 2013 Chilean eggs and chicks at Washington!
