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brooding, as well as the accurate keeping of
records, you could see quite clearly, that Jo and his wife were very
dedicated to their hobby.
WALSRODE
BIRD PARK, GERMANY: After a few days of a different type
of site seeing, it was back over the border into Germany again, where I
stayed without my father for the first time, at a friends place in
Dortmund. From here we travelled north to Walsrode Bird Park, near
Hannover, south of Hamburg. This magnificent park has a reputation of
being one of the best in the world, and after seeing it for myself I
can truly vouch for that. The gardens and aviary complexes are simply
amazing, with an enormous range of different birds to wet any ones
appetite, whether your into finches, soft bills, water birds, parrots,
cockatoos, lorikeets & lories, horned bills, toucans, or what
ever bird species, this park will satisfy all bird lovers and fanciers.
From the moment you start your long journey around the many walkways,
you will be fascinated by the different aviary constructions and
impressed with the amount of birds and flowers that awaits you. There
are 400 people employed at the park, keeping the grounds and aviary
complexes in superb conditions. The park has free flying shows in the
main open area, which is situated in the centre of the park, here you
are be confronted by Parrot species, Falcons, Hawks, & Eagles
doing their best to keep you amused with their many tricks. The park
also has a great museum which has a wide range of old bird cages, some
dating back as far as 1717. The park has many walk through aviaries
housing birds from all parts of the world, some with waterfalls
& rainforests inside them, these massive construction are a
delight to enter, just for the sheer pleasure of trying to find the
bird species in them. One massive complex has a complete sea-side
setting built inside it, showing you many water bird species in their
natural habitats. The Amazon complex is also a beautifully designed
fully indoor enclosure, with a wide range of Amazons housed here
including, the Imperial, St Vincent, & St Lucia Amazons,
something you don’t see every day. The Lorikeet complex is
also fully indoors, and houses a large range of birds such as rare
Hanging Parrots & Fig Parrots, as well as rare Lorikeets and
Lorie’s, including Stella’s, Red Flanked,
Josephine’s, Perfects, Whiskered, & Emeralds. Other
well designed aviaries house birds such as many species of Horned
Bills, Toucans, Soft bills, Finches, Birds of Prey, Cockatoos, Song
Birds, & Conures, just to name a few. There are also large
Indoor enclosures, housing many types of rain forest birds in their
natural habitat, including many types of magnificent birds of Paradise,
Tauraco’s, & Tropical Fruit Pigeons. This park is so
massive, you will need at least two days to visit all of the aviary
complexes, enclosures, displays, museums, & the free flying
exhibitions, this park has to offer. The atmosphere this park creates,
will always stay in my memory forever, and I believe I can speak for
all those who
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