Paignton Zoo bird keeper Lisa Jones freely admits that she has an interest that borders on obsession. She’s fascinated by feathers.
“During the summer months, lots of birds at Paignton Zoo start to moult… I think feathers are among the natural world’s most incredible adaptations. While I was cleaning out the Ural owls, who are moulting heavily now, I wondered if anyone else would be as interested in feathers as me!”
It turns out, yes. Feathers are the often overlooked wonders of nature. We might admire a bird, but do we stop to ask what feathers are, why they are like they...
One of the most striking birds in the world has bred at Paignton Zoo. The scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is famous for its bright red feathers – although, as you can see, the chicks are anything but scarlet.
There’s no other wading bird as scarlet as a scarlet ibis, but it takes time for juveniles to grow into the colour. It’s not until their second moult that the birds begin to take on that extraordinary rosy sheen. It can take two years or more for the dazzling change to be completed; the colour comes from the red crustaceans in their diet.
It’s an expensive time of year for birthday presents among the kittiwakes at Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo. The five adult birds all have birthdays between July 17th and August 7th. And now a chick has hatched on its mother’s birthday.
The kittiwake also hatched in the same nest and to the same parents as last year, when Living Coasts recorded its first ever breeding of this species. The kittiwake is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Senior Keeper Jason Keller has been keeping a close eye on things: “The chick seems...
On Sunday 28 April, the Killerton rangers need your help to count and learn about the creatures that live in Ashclyst Forest.
Come along to Caddihoe Scout Camp and help the team with some hands on bug hunting, flower counting and butterfly spotting at the BioBlitz day. Everything you help us find will be fed into a database to help understand more about which animals are living in the woods.
The day kicks off bright and early with a dawn chorus walk where you can enjoy the early morning bird song. Expert led walks and wildlife survey fun will then continue throughout the...
The RSPB is celebrating a very special anniversary of its world famous Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend (26-28 January).
Just one hour every year, for the last 40 years, has made the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch the largest garden wildlife citizen science project. During that time, hundreds of thousands of people have volunteered their time providing the RSPB with over 8 million hours of monitoring garden birds.
Over the last four decades, an astonishing 130 million birds have been counted giving the RSPB real insight into how our birds are faring.
This is the extraordinary moment the hatching of a rare Mauritius pink pigeon chick was caught on video – and the moment the hard work started in earnest for Paignton Zoo bird keeper Tom Tooley.
Senior Bird Keeper Tom is currently 6,000 miles away on the island of Mauritius. But if you think he’s dodged the English winter to relax on a tropical island, think again.
He’s spending time with local conservationists to help bolster the population of this bird, classed as an Endangered Species. That means hand rearing – and THAT means long days: “The first feed is at 6.00am, then...
Unassuming in the winter, male ruffs transform in the Spring with eye-catching plumage - and it's all for the benefit of the females...
Keepers at Torquay’s coastal zoo are preparing the ground for some fierce competition. They are cutting the grass and clearing undergrowth so that one species of bird can indulge in its extraordinary mating ritual.
The ruff (Calidris pugnax) is an unassuming medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Europe. Females are grey-brown and white with grey mottling, and so are males – most of the time....
The behaviour of birds on and around the River Exe Estuary is to be monitored for the next three years to understand the effects of people and their activities on this important wildlife habitat.
Monitoring of birds will help measure the effect of new Wildlife Refuges at Exmouth and Dawlish Warren, which will come into force in September 2018.
The Wildlife Refuges were agreed by the South East Devon Habitat Regulations Executive Committee (SEDHREC) in October 2017 , following a 9 month public consultation.
Chair of SEDHREC, and Chair of Exeter City Council’s...
Friday 30 March to Friday 13 April 2.00 pm-4.00 pm
Price: Some activities will have a small charge payable on the day
Get crafty with us this Easter at The Lookout at Bowling Green Marsh. Fun family activities and quizzes throughout the week.
Booking not required, just drop in.
Some activities will have a small charge payable on the day
How to get to RSPB Bowling Green Marsh nature reserve: Bowling Green Marsh is approximately a 20 minute walk from either Topsham rail station or Topsham's High Street. BY BUS: 57 service (Exeter to Exmouth) to...
Many opportunities to learn about birds with the Countryside team this year
Throughout the coming year, there are a number of events taking place at Seaton Wetlands to help you learn more about birds.
Events taking place at Seaton Wetlands in January include ‘What’s that bird?’ and bird ringing demonstrations.
‘What’s that bird?’ sessions take place twice a month throughout the year. During these two-hour drop-in sessions a volunteer guide is available in the bird hide to help visitors identify the birds they see. There are also binoculars available to borrow, free...
