Birdworld

About a 5 minute drive from us here in Farnham, is Birdworld, the largest bird park in the United Kingdom. I stopped by to get a few bird photos, hoping I could see some that are new.

One of the first ones I ran into upon entering the park was the Greater Flamingo, above. I'm always surprised to see how twisted these birds can get their neck.



Of course, none of these really count since they are all in captivity (except one I'll point out below). You will see in several of the photos, the tell-tale (or explicit) signs of the cages in which these birds are kept.

Here we have the Striated Caracara.

Since it is winter time and the birds are cold, we saw a lot of them huddled down to keep warm. This one is the Silver Pheasant. the detailed pattern in the feathers is fascinating.

The only time I explicitly included the bars on the cages, is in the image of the Grey Parrot. With that bright, perceptive eye watching me, I found it disturbing to be watched so closely from a cage.

The Zebra Finches were active (as always) and their bright colors always make for a good image.

The Budgerigars were busy appearing to be all lovey-dovey as they engage in some mutual grooming.

The Crested Pigeon, resting on the ground, is quite vibrant in the range of colors from white and pink to brown and black.

This startlingly colored bird is the Yellow-Streaked Lory. There were only two in the cage, but I could guess that in a flock-sized group, they'd be quite loud.

The only bird I saw that was a real sighting was the European Robin. He flew into a bush and posed for me. I find these much more interesting than the American Robins.

The Speckled Pigeon is grooming him(her?)self and with the reddish-orange band across the eyes, looks like a pirate. Or maybe Zoro? I think, perhaps, it is the Dread Pirate Roberts.

Blythe's Hornbill seems to be a cross between Einstein and a bleached-out Hornbill with a wrinkled nose. Most hornbills are much less vibrant.

We end our brief tour with the Toco Toucan. The startling beak on these birds really sets them apart from other birds.

If you are into these sorts of this, Birdworld is worth a visit. However, I found lots of birds we've see in the wild and it made me sad to see them in cages. The Lilac-Breasted Roller was prevented from rolling. The owls weren't hunting, the cockatoos weren't making cacophonous noises. It just ain't natural.