Wonderful Watatunga

To celebrate Bom's birthday (which was during the winter when it was chilly), we deferred her birthday celebration until today.

B, H and I all had a safari at Watatunga, a wildlife reserve which specialises in Ungulates.  Our small group travelled in golf buggies behind the very knowledgeable warden.  We saw many birds and animals during our 2- hour trip.  The main blip photo is of the Pere David deer. This unique species is named after Père David – a French missionary and zoologist who discovered the last of the breed in the Imperial Park in Beijing.  In the 19th century, a number of animals found their way into Europe and then into the UK where they flourished in captivity, specifically on the Woburn Estate. In the 1980’s, having gone extinct in their native China, the Pere David’s deer was reintroduced and has bounced back from a population of 38 to over 4,000.  

In the extras is one of the Sambar deer, one of them in particular was happy to follow us around and the warden advised us that she could be scratched between the ears as she particularly enjoyed this as she was moulting.

After a delicious afternoon tea at the local pub we went onto Gooderstone Water Gardens near Swaffham.  We had a delightful walk around the grounds admiring the planting and the lush spring growth, also in extras.

A fab day, enjoyed by all.  I'm sure Bom's blip will feature many more photos of our excellent day.