One of the things that I often took for granted in my hometown was the local bird park, Birdworld. It turns out that it is actually the largest bird park in the UK.
Birdworld houses around 180 species of birds, 40 of which are listed as vulnerable, threatened, or endangered. It even has a Terry Pratchett themed 'Owl Parliament'!
Below are just a few of the birds that I found while walking around. I've named them as best as I could remember!
This is a Tragopan, a kind of pheasant, which is found in China, and Vietnam I think.
A colourful Red and Green Macaw, which is from Central America I think. After losing a squabble with another Macaw, this one climbed up the wire fence before hopping into his food dish.
This is a kind of Cockatoo. There are many different kinds of these birds spread throughout the Australasian region. This particular one was quite chatty, and had even mastered saying , "hello"!
Some sun-bathing Flamingoes.
A colony of South African Penguins. I managed to get quite close to these birds and got some good pictures of them.
Finally, I came across this Toucan, from Mexico. It took me a long time to capture it's photo as it kept flying around it's enclosure. Eventually it stopped and I caught the sun highlighting it's brilliantly coloured beak.
Of course, inbetween all of the bird watching, I managed to find time to drink some Costa Coffee and eat some fish and chips at the park's cafe.
I'd already spent quite a lot of money by this point, and the weak yen hadn't helped my wallet much, but I had to buy some gifts and souvenirs before leaving.
If you ever find yourself in the South of England (in particular around Hampshire) then why not give Birdworld a visit? It's great way to spend half a day while spending some time outdoors and learning a little about the amazing variety of birds that live on our planet.
AH