A selection from Wingham

The first few photos follow on from my previous post quite nicely, with a bee posing on the allium. There are also still some bluebells still hanging on in the wooded area near me. Not in their best form but their shadows in the small patch of sunlight on the tree trunk in the 3rd photo down made it look almost magical. 

Bombus lapidarius (I think)

Helophilus pendulus on some hawthorn blossom

I wasn't working at the pub on Saturday so my mum and I decided to take a trip to Wingham Wildlife Park (formerly Wingham Bird Park) because I was thinking of applying to volunteer there. When I was much younger, maybe 4 or 5 I was taken there with my cousins, I think we got chased by a peacock. Well in 15 years or so it has certainly changed and expanded considerably. They now have tigers, lions, wolves and a variety of small mammals, reptiles and birds. So it's basically a small zoo.

Most of the enclosures were pretty good, with places for the animals to hide from the public and things for them to do. However, we weren't impressed with some of the living conditions for the birds of prey... They have a huge kids play area which has clearly had a fair amount of money spent on it, and I just wonder why they haven't spent their money on improving the aviaries which, although we are not experts, could clearly be deemed inadequate. I don't disagree with zoos, they are great for exposing children to incredible animals that otherwise they may only ever see on the TV, and I understand that captive animals wouldn't survive in the wild, but seeing 2 beautiful owls in approx 7x7x5 foot cage with just one perch and isn't acceptable.

Rant over and other than that it was a good day. A fairly amusing moment occurred whilst walking through the flamingo enclosure (you were allowed) when we noticed lots of tiny black fluffy moorhen chicks. The parent bird was hidden in the reeds and a young couple point them out to their small child and said something along the lines of "Ahh look do you think they are flamingo chicks?!" I quickly but hopefully not patronizingly informed them that they weren't.

I took a few photos, but only when I could get one without a bit of wire fence in, or something similar...

Red panda looking like he is trying to whisper something... pssstt

Scrunched up nose

Meerkats having a stretch - funny critters!

Alert!

Heavily pregnant goat - which species of goat I cannot remember

Drake mallard

Pelican

Crested crane - it was so near that I couldn't fit its whole crest in my frame!

Cool hairdo!

Pretty female mallard

Cuuuute mallard duckling

Bengal Eagle Owl feathers

Peacock

Relaxing in the shade

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Scarlet swallowtail I think

Owl eye butterfly I believe

 Yesterday I started voluntary work for the Kent Wildlife Trust and helped for a few hours down at Oare marshes. There was a fair crowd looking at the Bonaparte's gull. I took my camera, but upon arrival at Oare, realised that my SD card was in fact still in my laptop. How unhelpful! Not that I probably would have been able to tell it from another gull anyway! Maybe later in the week I'll pop down again to see what all the fuss is about!!

That is all from me for today, thanks for reading :)