KEEPERS at Bourton-on-the-Water’s Birdland are paying tribute to some of the avian world's finest feathered females as part of its Mother’s Day weekend.

This is the time of year the hens are starting to lay and sit on eggs and their progress is closely monitored by the bird-keeping team.

Amongst those already laying are the roul roul partridge, emus and the Humboldt penguins.

Head keeper, Alistair Keen, said: “We had our first penguin eggs laid at the end of February and we’re now seeing a number of the birds pairing up and preparing their nests.”

Over the weekend, the talks programme will highlight some of Birdland’s hard-working mums, providing a fascinating insight into about how different bird species looks after their young.

In some cases, like the king penguins, the parents share incubation of their single egg - taking it in turns to keep the egg warm on top of their feet - while in others it’s actually the male who ends up doing most of the hard work when it comes to looking after the babies.

The fun weekend will take place on Saturday March 10 and Sunday March 11.