Parrots, caiman and Godfrey

“Hello my name is Poppy” is not how you expect your toddler to introduce herself to a parrot. She was fascinated with it too. Until it squawked. Then she was off pointing and shouting “whatsatt?” excitedly at flamingos as their heads disappeared from view.

Before we ventured to Birdworld, in the Alice Holt Forest, we visited the adjacent Underwater World in search of  ‘Godfrey’.

Underwater World is described as a magical journey from a tropical mountain stream, through jungle swamps to the colourful world of marine reefs in warm seas. It didn’t disappoint, we saw an array of beautiful fish. POD was able to stand on a portable step so she could see all the displays and ask “whatsiss?” at every available opportunity.

Although she found the catfish and piranhas a little intimidating, she requested fish get out of their tanks on more than one occasion. I’m not sure how the fish felt having a two-year-old peer at them through the glass.

Godfrey, a soft shelled turtle, is an intriguing creature that uses its nose as a snorkel. I wish I’d been able to get a better photograph of him before he turned his back.

POD’s enthusiasm increased dramatically when we reached The Crocodile Swamp where young caiman and turtles were clearly visible. She would have been in there with them given half the chance. We had much “crocodile” and “snap snap” chatter. And “feesh”, not that you’d ever find fish in a crocodile swamp.

POD loves spotting “peegins”, “seagulls” and “backbirds” so Birdworld was a good call. She greeted nearly all the parrots. They weren’t graced with the full “hello my name is Poppy” welcome but they were spoken to or waved at. Understandably, those that answered back caused a bit of confusion.

Birdworld has over 160 species of bird from around the world with many part of an international breeding programme to ensure the survival of their species. We saw ostriches, owls, ducks, geese, swans, pelicans and softbills plus an unnamed bird whose head resembled that of a dinosaur.

At penguin feeding time we were lucky enough to witness a visit from a heron after a spot of lunch.

Also located in the 26 acres of Birdworld is the Jenny Wren Farm where, after a brief visit to a toddler’s play area, we saw reindeer, pigs, chickens, rabbits, lambs, cows, goats and ponies. A fabulous looking peacock strutted up to us and spread his feathers providing the perfect opportunity for some pretty impressive photos.

POD continued her ongoing questioning at the farm with much “I see the this”, “I go there” and “whatsatt?”. She struggled to say goodbye to the reindeer. Mind you her only real memory of them is in Stick Man and the ‘goat’ ornament she rode round on at Christmas.

All in all it was a successful morning out, especially after chicken pox and the subsequent Sudocrem incident. Perhaps next time we visit Birdworld we’ll be able to check out the flying shows, encounter some more animals and Safari Road Train ride.

Further information about Birdworld, Underwater World and The Jenny Wren Farm is available on the Birdworld website.