KEEPERS at Bourton's Birdland attraction have taken delivery of a few new charges that are guaranteed to ruffle a few feathers when it opens this weekend.

Children from Bourton Primary School got the first opportunity to see the life-sized dinosaurs and learn about the time the terrifying creatures roamed the Cotswolds more than 65 million years ago.

The 30 giants are forming part of Birdland's new Jurassic Journey which have been making their way to Birdland over the past few weeks.

The Year 6 children were among the first to get close to them and also tried out a new interactive trail and tested their palaeontology knowledge in a fossil and dinosaur excavation area, the Dino Dig.

As well as providing an exciting new attraction for visitors, the Jurassic Journey trail is also a reminder that today’s bird species are directly descended from dinosaurs.

Birdland’s Simon Blackwell said: “We were really pleased with the feedback from the class, and how much they enjoyed the experience.

“The children had a chance to explore, find clues around the trail and to get hands on in the Dino Dig discovering fossils."

Deputy headteacher of Bourton Primary John Moore said: “All the children had a fantastic time at the new Jurassic Journey trail. They enjoyed finding the Discovery Code and spotting the dinosaurs, especially the smaller ones that were hidden throughout the trail.

"It is a wonderful facility to have and we are organising a few trips with our school houses to return to Birdland. The children mentioned that they particularly liked digging in the sand and they have asked to go back again.”

Jurassic Journey opens this Saturday for May half term. Visitors will be able to venture in to a Jurassic-themed landscape which is home to more than 30 different dinosaurs ranging from a metre-long baby stegosaurus to a five metre tall brachiosaurus.

Visitors will also be able to spot dinosaur eggs along with complete dinosaur skeletons.