Keeping the birds cosy when it snows.
The unseasonal March weather (read that as temperatures around freezing and lots of snow flurries) have seen the flamingo flocks at WWT Slimbridge being given extra care and attention (more so than what is normally lavished on them) to stop them from feeling the chill of the "spring" weather. Lots of courtship display has been going on, with birds marching up and down, back and forth, and head-flagging, wing-saluting and trying to look good for their potential partners. So everyone at WWT is hopeful that some warmer weather comes along soon for the birds to really get into the swing of things and start displaying avidly. Even for the hardy species (Andean, James', Chilean) the cold weather means birds are changing their activity and using their shelter more frequently. Plus it's not much fun if you're the PhD student stood outside in the freezing cold hoping to see some exciting social interaction, when the birds are all snuggly tucked up inside (I would like to add potentially laughing at the said student who is hanging around in the cold...).
In the mean time, here is a short video of how to put a flock of 160 flamingos to bed. Gently, calmly and quietly! The birds will naturally follow each other into their house for their evening meal, so they know that a tasty meal in their nice warm shed is waiting for them. Hence why they file inside in such an orderly fashion!
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4-6U0aFz_o&feature=youtu.be']
