Baby birds waddle into the spotlight for Downy Duckling Days
Baby birds of all shapes and sizes will delight visitors coming to WWT Slimbridge’s Downy Duckling Days.
The half term event from May 24 to June 1 gives families behind-the-scenes access to the Gloucestershire attraction’s busy rearing facility
The event also happens when the Slimbridge grounds are busy with wild ducklings and goslings.
Phoebe Young, Aviculture Warden, said: “The event is as cute as it sounds, but as well as seeing lots of fluffy ducklings our visitors also learn about how baby birds develop inside an egg before, during and after hatching.
“At WWT Slimbridge we raise hundreds of ducklings and goslings each year and with this event we hope to inspire future generations in the need for conservation by taking the time to show them the beauty of our baby birds."
On the 45 minute tours families see how the centre’s bird experts can look inside an egg using a process called candling.
The lights are switched off and a torch illuminates an egg. From this technique you can see if an egg is fertile and calculate when it is likely to hatch.
As part of the event families will also be able to see eggs hatching in an incubator and to see ducklings up close in a special viewing tank.
The expertise gained by the aviculture team from rearing species at WWT Slimbridge has been used on many important conservation projects such as saving the Madagascan Pochard and rearing wild cranes for release into the South West as part of the Great Crane Project.
The Downy Duckling Day tours are included in the normal admission price and visitors book their place on one after arrival on the day.
To book your admission tickets or find out more go to www.wwt.org.uk/slimbridge
