Necker animals - first Flamingo egg of the season
- By Richard Branson -
- Feb 17, 2012
Since there were no flamingos left in the BVI 10 years ago, it is always exciting when the first egg of the new season arrives.
Necker is one of the few places on earth where flamingos breed annually. Last year over 50 healthy birds were born, bringing the flock size to well over 200, now the biggest in the BVI.
We have over 35 nests under construction so are hoping for another successful breeding season. We give them a helping hand by, if necessary, by incubating any eggs that are knocked off the nests. A wooden decoy egg is placed under the birds until three-to-four days before hatching when the eggs are swapped back again. This ensures a higher hatch rate and prevents the clumsy parents from breaking their eggs.
Here is a photo of the flamingos from last year's breeding season. Hope this year's new arrivals are soon thriving alongside them.
Photos by Charlie Smith
By Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group
