Two's company but many is also very good.
Flamingo Lagoon continues to be a delight to sit and watch. The 30 or so greater flamingo chicks that are currently prancing around, getting under the feet of long-suffering parents, are demonstrating lots of lovely natural behaviour that can transport Slimbridge visitors deep into the heart of a wild flamingo colony. So block out the roving coots, mallards and moorhens and imagine yourself deep in the heart of the Mediterranean, or the Rift Valley in East Africa, or perhaps in the Camargue in the South of France...
The size of the greater flamingo flock at WWT Slimbridge, as well as the expansive nature of the bird's enclosure, allows them to behave in this wonderful natural fashion. As these birds have round-the-clock use of their pool and nesting island, they are able to be left to their own devices for most of the time, and therefore they can behave just the same as their wild counterparts.
The chicks have moved away from the nest mounds now and are forming a crèche in the large sanded part of the nesting island. A crèche is simply like a nursery for human toddlers. Creching is a normal behaviour for flamingo chicks to do as it affords them a greater degree of protection than if they were to stand around by themselves. It is also of benefit to the parent birds who can go for a wash, swim and a feed without having a small fluffy chick trailing around after them. A small fluffy chick that could get too damp, too cold, too tired or too eaten by a predator. So whilst the Slimbridge avics keep the birds as safe and secure as they can inside their enclosure, the wild instinct to form a big bundle of bodies as a defence mechanism still remains.
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9ifJ7gMs-I&list=UUp41rC1pWyYfO5RLXe6VUMg']
The other behaviour that has been frequently noticed is a chick going swimming. This is important exercise for young legs and it strengthens growing muscles. So whilst you will see the chicks on the island for the most part, do look out for them paddling around in the water. They wont always follow the adults into the pool but normally when one decides to dip its feet in, the others will too. The chicks are very buoyant in their grey downy coats (that trap air a little like a life jacket) but as they are not yet fully waterproof they will not stay in the water for as long as mum and dad. Just the same as ducklings need to have oil transferred to them from their parents so they can swim without getting waterlogged, so flamingo chicks have to wait for their own preen gland to develop before they are completely water-tight (so to speak).
Finally, when the chicks are on the island together, look out for them beginning to practice the intricate moves of the flamingo's well-known courtship dance. The chicks are not too sure what they are doing yet, after all some are only a month old, but it is important to start early so that they grow up big and strong, and are able to join in with the adults in time. Look out for lots of short stumpy legs being stretched as well as wings and necks being waved around in a rather crude imitation of the adults' well-honed display.
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx1ayn7bRIw&index=1&list=UUp41rC1pWyYfO5RLXe6VUMg']
