That's a lot of greater flamingos!
Today there was a catch and health check of the greater flamingo flock at WWT Slimbridge. This is the first time that the flock have been caught up in their new exhibit that opened in 2012, and it was important to assess the condition of the birds, to ring any new arrivals and to see if the birds were identifiable with their personal microchips. It also provided a definitive total as to the number of birds in the flock overall...
As flamingos get moved around different centres and into different enclosures, it's nice to have the opportunity to physically handle (and hence count) each bird.
Today's catch gave the overall number of 274 birds in the Slimbridge greater flamingo flock. Given that a majority of these will be WWT hatched birds (since the flock was established in 1962) that is indeed quite an achievement.
The catch was headed by the experienced hands of Sparky and Phil, with Duane and Phoebe on hand for catching and handling duties. An army of volunteers and Slimbridge staff from other departments were keen to help out too, to process such a large group of flamingos.
Speed, calmness and efficiency are the order of the day for a flamingo catch. And WWT are world leaders in the methods of restraining and handling flamingos (there has been enough practice that's for sure!), and everyone ensures that the birds remain as comfortable and as relaxed as possible during their health check. So for now, enjoy some of the images from today's catch.
