Rtas' main collection

congrats for these beautiful pheasant and capercaillie! I ought to have bought them but at this moment I did'nt collect birds..
   You're right, this peacock is better than the last version one. I have the wonderful Papo one, which is the best according to me, maybe as good as the old Elastolin one! :)

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..it's because of this guy I now collect birds others than raptors!

I did not even know there was a Papo one, is it retired ? And may I see it ?

Edit : I see on TAI that it is NOT retired so why did I never see it ?

Lovely landfowl :) I don't have none of these gallinaceous birds, in part due to all my landfowl are homemade models of more obscure species
The Schleich capercaillie is nice, but you know I'm not fond on bases, so I keep an eye on the Bullyland one instead for the future.
You just aroused our curiosity about the turkey, at least mine as I love all 18-rated things but of course I don't ask you if it's embarassing for you :)
While I never saw ospreys, I saw capercaillies at three different zoos, one of them being one you have visited

CollectA secretarybird is absolutely by far out of all my future purchase ideas for my collection. As your collecting tastes are similar to mines maybe you found that relevating, tough I'm by far more restrictive than you. Besides being the double of size of what I wish, I dislike that it do have not only a base, but a wall of grasses between the legs, added of course for stabilty and avoid bending for thin parts in a mass produced figure, but not my kind of things. But as all your raptors are greatly oversized, maybe the secretarybird fits better for you

Pardofelis wrote:

While I never saw ospreys, I saw capercaillies at three different zoos, one of them being one you have visited

Wait... what ?! Which one ?!

I see on Zootierliste that they were in "Jardin des Plantes" so I guess it is this one but I surely did not visit it when they were there.

Pardofelis wrote:

But as all your raptors are greatly oversized, maybe the secretarybird fits better for you

Haha, I am never fed up with your cutting remarks

Papo peacock [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Ah, I am utterly jealous of your retired Schleich! The Mojo Fun golden eagle was supposed to be released instead of the bald eagle, but it wasn't like an African lion too.

The Papo peacock isn't retired (I don't think) I got mine at a castle for way over the regular price at £8.99, when I believe the regular price is £5.99! My first peacock was Safari that I got age three and it was one of my only Safari at that time.

IV Birds and reptiles

B) Birds

7) Tropical birds

Species : Toco toucan, blue-and-yellow macaw, scarlet macaw, budgerigar, hyacinth macaw
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Figures on this picture (from left to right and up to bottom) :
- Schleich 14777 Toco toucan (2017-still in production)
- Schleich 14690 Blue-and-Yellow Macaw (2013-2017)
- Schleich 14737 Macaw, Scarlet (2015-still in production)
- Schleich 14408 Budgy Green (2002-2016)
- Schleich 14409 Budgy Blue (2003-2016)
- Schleich 14689 Hyacinth Macaw (2013-2016)

Fun facts :
- These budgies prove one more time than I am far less restrictive than Pardofelis as far as size is concerned
- I once found the blue budgy in a garden centre but the cashier did not let me buy it. She said it was her "mascot" and was not for sale (while it obviously was ). I tried to corrupt her but she answered me it would cost me a lot of money. Since I was not interested that much in that budgy, I just gave up. But it remains quite a strange and even surrealistic story
- I bought the toucan and the scarlet macaw in my Schleich favourite shop and the hyacinth macaw in another local shop. I found the blue and yellow macaw and the green budgy during one of my figure hunts and bought the blue budgy from a woman who lives in my parents' town.
- I have seen all these species in zoos.

Update : Were added to the collection
- Safari 263729 Green-Cheeked Amazon Parrot (2006-still in production)
- Safari 263829b Cockatoo (2015-still in production)
For further information, please check the addition topics.
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Advicot wrote:

Ah, I am utterly jealous of your retired Schleich!

I am starting to think that my vintage collection would be more interesting for you guys than my current main one

Advicot wrote:

The Mojo Fun golden eagle was supposed to be released instead of the bald eagle, but it wasn't like an African lion too.

Roger, it would be great to see that golden eagle when it is back from "holidays"

And thanks for the peacock pic Adam !

I have all these beautiful birds in my collection, and have had macaws and still have budgies today. Your blue & gold macaw has bolder face veins? than mine. I really, really enjoy watching your daily collection updates. I could talk and ask you so much but it would contain over 500 words!

If you want, I can take a comparison picture of the secretary bird with the Papo marabou. They are almost the same size but remember their poses are different. Maybe Isidro knows better your taste and probably it is too big for you even I am almost sure that soon or later you will be interested in this figure.
These birds are very tall, actually, and the the size allowed some very delicate details like the crest feathers or tail feathers, legs are also very good despite the slightly unpleasant base. My taste is a little different and I favour a slightly larger figure with good proportions, delicate legs and subtile detail instead of a smaller figure with chubby short legs and big heads.
You can see my Mojö golden eagle [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and you can read about it too. I think that this topic also replies to something Adam asked and I lost track of it.

I bought my budgies in 2008 at my local toy shop, even though it sells just Schleich the owner (my mother's friend) sometimes finds old stock and holds it back to see if I want it. Fingers crossed some really rare figures turn up

I have the same parrots as you have except the budgies!

From Rtas latest picture, it's so obvious that Schleich kept in production the worst Macaw of the three. Such a shame..

Which one Spacelab?

[quote="RtasVadumee"]

Pardofelis wrote:

I see on Zootierliste that they were in "Jardin des Plantes" so I guess it is this one but I surely did not visit it when they were there.

But they were in 2009 in the border of the zoo, together with the cages of great owls and curassows. Its enclosure is difficult to seek into, full of vegetation... dark and not good for photos. But at least you can see the animal

Papo peacock is wonderful! It even may fit into my collection, it's enough realistic for that :)

Really strange and weird history about the budgie toy. Maybe she have a real budgie in a cage and mistook your words??

No Pardo, we were both talking about the figure
I think I see the enclosure you are talking about. It is dedicated to European birds and when I visited the ménagerie for the last time, it was inhabited by hoopoes, stone-curlews and little bustards but no capercaillie.

Very nice and rare eagle Roger. When you have that, you obviously don't need the old Schleich one.

Little bustards! They're million times better than capercaillies, I hope some day to be able to return to Menagerie. They also have now quolls in the former gura cuckoo enclosure!

Pardofelis wrote:

Little bustards! They're million times better than capercaillies, I hope some day to be able to return to Menagerie. They also have now quolls in the former gura cuckoo enclosure!

Well, actually, as a European bird, little bustards are more interesting to see in the wild ! But yes, I was very pleasantly surprised to find all these European species during my last visit

I have seen the quolls The ménagerie is easily my second or third favourite zoo. Their species catalogue is so original ! I love its caprine collection, its quolls, its anoas, its gaboon vipers, its corsac foxes, its Visayas warty pigs, its huge gaurs... I saw caracals and cassowaries for the first time there ! I love the atmosphere and all these old buildings. When I am there, I feel like I am in the 18-19th centuries and I am going to meet Buffon or Cuvier ! And the Galerie de L'Evolution A great place of zoology and history.

I now want to visit this place.

RtasVadumee wrote:

Pardofelis wrote:

Little bustards! They're million times better than capercaillies, I hope some day to be able to return to Menagerie. They also have now quolls in the former gura cuckoo enclosure!

Well, actually, as a European bird, little bustards are more interesting to see in the wild ! But yes, I was very pleasantly surprised to find all these European species during my last visit

I have seen the quolls The ménagerie is easily my second or third favourite zoo. Their species catalogue is so original ! I love its caprine collection, its quolls, its anoas, its gaboon vipers, its corsac foxes, its Visayas warty pigs, its huge gaurs... I saw caracals and cassowaries for the first time there ! I love the atmosphere and all these old buildings. When I am there, I feel like I am in the 18-19th centuries and I am going to meet Buffon or Cuvier ! And the Galerie de L'Evolution A great place of zoology and history.

Sorry to interrput you But you talk about which zoo/menagerie? As it seems a place to visit!

IV Birds and reptiles

B) Birds

8 ) Penguins

Species : Emperor penguin, gentoo penguin, rockhopper penguin, African penguin
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Figures on this picture (from left to right) :
- Schleich 14632 Emperor Penguin with Chick (2011-2017)
- Schleich 14652 Emperor Penguin (2011-2018)
- CollectA 88589 Gentoo Penguin (2012-still in production)
- CollectA 88588 Rockhopper Penguin (2012-still in production)
- Schleich 14705 African Penguin (2013-2016)

Fun facts :
- Some of you may have already seen my penguins as they are the very first figures I showed on this forum.
- I am planning to add the Papo emperor penguin to this family once the confinement is over and perhaps, the Mojo gentoo too.
- I bought the emperor with chicks in my favourite Schleich shop, got the other one in another local shop, found the African during one of my first figure hunts and ordered the gentoo and rockhopper penguins from my favourite CollectA provider in the UK.
- I have seen gentoo, rockhopper and African penguins in aquariums and/or zoos but I have never seen emperor penguins.

Duck-Anch-Amun wrote:

RtasVadumee wrote:

Pardofelis wrote:

Little bustards! They're million times better than capercaillies, I hope some day to be able to return to Menagerie. They also have now quolls in the former gura cuckoo enclosure!

Well, actually, as a European bird, little bustards are more interesting to see in the wild ! But yes, I was very pleasantly surprised to find all these European species during my last visit

I have seen the quolls The ménagerie is easily my second or third favourite zoo. Their species catalogue is so original ! I love its caprine collection, its quolls, its anoas, its gaboon vipers, its corsac foxes, its Visayas warty pigs, its huge gaurs... I saw caracals and cassowaries for the first time there ! I love the atmosphere and all these old buildings. When I am there, I feel like I am in the 18-19th centuries and I am going to meet Buffon or Cuvier ! And the Galerie de L'Evolution A great place of zoology and history.

Sorry to interrput you But you talk about which zoo/menagerie? As it seems a place to visit!

Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes in Paris

Yes, it's probably the most amazing place in the world for a naturalist or biodiversity-lover point of view. It have IN THE SAME PLACE:
-A good old zoo with very interesting species, and not a hugely inflated price as other zoos have for the entry (I paid 9€ back in 2009)
-A very good natural history museum with many rarities and even unique things such as the only King Island Emu in the world and I believe also the only Kouprey?
-An extremely good botanical garden, so big that it's impossible to visit in only one day and that includes from tropical greenhouses (that I was unable to visit!) to systematic sections and also very noteworthy specimens such as the older black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) of whole Europe!

Here is the only place in the world where I spent completely the battery of my camera and I was unable to take photos in the natural history museum! Since then I have an additional battery for use once one is empty

I also remember here to buy an expensive crêpe as all my lunch (I had no time for more), but I caught it badly and it fallen to soil. The girl was kind and wanted to offer me another one for free, but it was my fault and I'm honest so I paid for another. I ate it and in front of me congregated a bunch of pigeons. All common domestic pigeons except one that is a wood pigeon. A species that was not so supercommon in cities then as it's now. I gave it small pieces of my crêpe directly from my hand to its bill and I loved that moment! :)

Curious to see that you and me have every species of penguin different to each other, being the penguin family a small family where not overlapping in species is difficult! I have Adelie's and chinstrap!

Emperor penguins are very difficult to keep well in captivity because they're the only penguins that breed well inland into Antarctic continent and are less adaptable than the other species. As a result, very few zoos in the world keep them. I'm aware of only two, one in Japan and one in California. Fortunately I've seen them in California! But they keep the strict Antarctic cycle, so during northern summer, it's winter in the penguin house and hence the enclosure is in darkness. As a result, I was unable to take decent photos! One must visit in winter for see the habitat recreation during Southern summer and full light!