THE first flamingo chick in fours years has been hatched at Washington Wetland Centre. 

Staff at the centre, run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) have been eagerly waiting to find out whether the egg would hatch successfully since it was laid on July 31.

They were rewarded on Tuesday, when they were delighted to hear a "croaking" from within the egg - the very first bonding ritual young flamingos have with their parents – and a signal it was thriving, healthy and almost ready to hatch.

The freshly-hatched chick was spotted taking shelter under the protective wing of its parent this morning. 

Senior keeper Rhys McKie said, “To have the first egg in over four years hatch successfully is very exciting and it’s great to see the adults doing their job as parents perfectly.

"It’s also been really promising to have many of our six-year-old hand-reared flamingos interested in the process; curiously investigating the nests and inspecting the eggs. Some even had a go at incubating the eggs and, although they may not be their own, it’s really encouraging behaviour to see!

“The conditions couldn’t have been more ideal this year and alongside the work we’ve done as a team to make the enclosure suitable and comfortable, the weather has also played a huge part in the success of the eggs and newly-hatched young.

“We’ll be monitoring the chick regularly and checking the adults are doing well in supporting it. It’s a crucial time for both adults and chick and we’re keen to see how the relationships develop and grow within this close-knit flock as youngsters are introduced.”

The youngster can be seen feeding beak-to-beak with its parents, tentatively exploring the area around their volcano-like nests and "sunbathing" when the weather is warm, to absorb vital vitamin D for strengthening its legs.

The new arrival will be helped in the coming months by the centre's solar-powered flamingo housing, which is the first in Europe. 

WWT Washington’s centre manager Gill Pipes said: “You can imagine how delighted we are to have these chicks. Whilst this summer’s weather may have, at times, been disappointing for us humans, the combination of spells of persistent hot sunny weather and some prolonged rainfall is perfect for the breeding behaviours of our flamingos.

"The solar powered UV light the adults had access to over the winter and the effective management of the vegetation and water flow of the exhibit by our team have also been key in bringing us to this successful point.”

She added:  “People may be aware that the birds have actually laid 24 eggs so far this year. We only rear the number of chicks we need to keep our flock at optimum head count so we won’t be returning all of the fertile eggs to the flock for hatching. The remaining eggs won’t go to waste though.

"They are now with Bird Gardens Scotland CIC who are building their flock of flamingos up in the Scottish Borders. Our longer term followers may well remember Owen Joiner, who led the WWT Washington team [including Rhys, who was then a volunteer here] in hand rearing 2 sets of flamingo chicks over 2012/13, leading to our birds laying eggs in 2014 for the first time in 8 years.

"Owen will be repeating this amazing feat up at Bird Gardens Scotland and our animal care team will be popping up for a visit in the coming weeks to share experiences and knowledge, and get close to the chicks.”

Visitors can discover more about WWT Washington’s Chilean flamingos at twice-daily commentated feeds, which take place at 11.45am and 2.45pm.