Today is the first day of our summer opening, meaning we are open daily through out the week as well as our usual weekends, for the general public. This will continue through the summer until out local schools go back on the 4th of September... we will then be back to the usual weekends and bank holidays.
So what's happening...
To start with, there has been a few animals moved around. Our water vole island is taking longer than anticipated to renovate... don't ask... and so temporarily we have housed our display water voles in our grass snake enclosure so they can be seen by the public. Don't worry, our grass snakes won't mind, they have been temporarily moved off display in our holding pens ready for our new reptile enclosures next Spring... lets be honest, most of you never saw them anyway...
Whitstable, our male polecat who sired the litter of kits with Oriel, was off display while the kits were growing. He has now been moved in to the hedgerow enclosure next to the pond with the extended run system for him to explore. Mentioning the pond area in the hedgerow, this has been extended with the glass tank removed, to give more space to the animals in there. Once completed this will end up being a nice little multis species enclosure showing off a few things you may be lucky enough to find in a typical garden pond. Really excited to see this one finished.
Our red squirrels, who were only a few months a go re released in to the new and improved enclosure, are really beginning to settle now and are more frequently being seen as they are getting re used to people. They have been great for recent photo days, and we now often have 2 or 3 about for our keeper talk in the morning.
New arrivals, including Rosie the weasel, are settling in well. She is housed outside by the polecats in one of our weasel enclosures.
Lot's of youngsters are around as always this time of year. Perhaps easiest to see are our deer fawns and calves out in the main paddock, but not too far away from them in our aviaries we have a stunning long eared owl chick called Bruce Wayne being reared by mum.
Our other chicks being reared, Arya (Tawny), Pacino (Little) and Kate (Long Eared) are really progressing well and will be seen out and about and learning to fly over the summer. But if it is more mammals you want, you won't go wrong spending some time up with our polecats where 4 handsome young kits are growing and playing with mum Oriel.
I often remind people, and will again now, don't neglect our inside areas where our mice and voles reside. They are on great form at the moment, often seen out and about, especially in the mornings.
New moving of animals, new animals, new babies and new people and opportunities coming up too over the summer. Hopefully get to see some of you here over the next few weeks.
