We’ve finally got a name for our flamingo chick…who shall now be know as ‘Flimgo’!
Some of the suggestions we had were:

• Snowball
• Flimgo
• Flingo
• Harry
• Lucky
• Julian Clarey
• Pinky
• Pinkish
• Fluffy
• Fennella the flamingo
• Phoebie the Flamingo
• John’s little Miracle
• Alice (as in wonderland)

The little guy/girl is now approx 70cm high, fully stood up.

It’s been feeding itself from the lower food bowl provided for just over two weeks now, but is still also being fed by the parents. When they regurgitate the ‘crop milk’, it’s a bright pink colour, this will slowly be reduced by the parents as the chick gets older.

At the moment it still has its grey downy juvenile plumage, but has small primary flight pin feathers developing on its wings, and some pin feathers on its body. This means it’s gradually getting adult plumage, but will still be a grey colour until next year.

It can be seen resting on one leg as the adult Flamingos do and can now swim quite well.

It’s also now large enough to be tucked up overnight in the boat house winter quarters with all the adults, without the risk of it being trampled on, or pecked by other adult Flamingos.

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After nearly twenty years of nothing, our Chilean Flamingos have started laying eggs, there are currently six eggs being sat on by the Flamingos. The first eggs are due to hatch in about a week.

One of the theories as to why the Flamingos haven’t laid eggs before is that there haven’t been enough of them to feel comfortable. To rectify this we have introduced life size cardboard cut outs of the birds and a sprinkler system to keep the island that they are laying their eggs on damp. Having damp soil enables them to build their nests as you can see in the picture.