Jimmy the Shelduck is 20 tomorrow!

Jimmy - 20 years old this weekend

Is Jimmy the oldest Shelduck in the world?  Jimmy has lived with park Director since 1991 and when David opened South Lakes Wild Animal Park in 1994 Jimmy moved into the park with him.  

Jimmy is just one of the parks collection of birds from marbled teals to wood ducks, Hawaiian geese,  black swans, coscoroba swans, moorhens - including a very rare white one,  ibis, storks, spoonbills...

Very rare white moorhen home at South Lakes Wild Animal Park

 A firm favourite with all visitors Jimmy can often be seen “following” in the hope they have purchased some animal food for him, school groups are his favourite or families with children and he'll quite happily move from child to child as they all take it in turns to feed him.   Extra supplies of the special duck mix have been bagged ready for the weekend.

Happy Birthday Jimmy... 

Shelduck facts: 

·     The Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) is a widespread and common duck throughout Europe.  Most migrate to warmer climes in winter.  

·     Found in the salt marshes and estuaries around the coastline of Britain.

·     Tadorna comes from Celtic roots and means "pied waterfowl", essentially the same as the English "shelduck".

·     Looking a little like a goose the Common Shelduck is a striking bird with its red bill, white and chestnut body, dark green head and neck.

·     Sexes are similar, but the female is duller. The male has a swollen red bill in the breeding season.

·     Moulting flocks can be very large (100,000 on the Wadden Sea), since most pairs leave their partially grown young in a creche with just one or two adults.

·     The young will dive under water to avoid predators and the adults will fly away from them to act as a decoy.