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| - I visited the Aviary for the first time for one of the "Aviary at Night" events. Once a month on a Thursday, the Aviary opens its doors from 5:00-9:00 for an over 21 event. The down side to this event is that there are no scheduled feedings or shows. The plus side is that you aren't swamped by kids, you can wander through certain areas with a glass of wine (the main hallway with the bald eagle and the penguin area) and you get to see birds at a time most people don't get to see them.
In addition to the no kids, the cafe has a nice menu of specials (pulled pork nachos, salmon grilled cheese, a fruit and cheese tray). There is also a bar with beer, wine and mixed drinks. It was a fun event and something I will likely return to in the future.
General Aviary Review:
The Aviary is divided into themed areas. There was at least one volunteer in each area ready to answer questions you had about the various birds and bird calls.
There is a tropical rain forest with an array of colorful (and talkative) birds. It is a free flight area where you may need to watch your step and look out above. Most of the birds will keep their distance. One that seems to greet you and say "you'd better behave in MY house" is the Crowned Pigeon. It has a beautiful blue color and peacock like tail. There was a very distinct call, but I had no way of knowing which bird it was. It would be nice if they had some sort of interactive display or listening station that had examples of the various bird's calls so you can know what you are listening to.
The wetlands is another free flight area. The most visible birds in this area are the flamingos. I'm not sure what was going on that evening, but the flamingos were having some sort of fight (or very loud play). It was interesting to watch and seemed to get all the other birds riled up. It got quite loud! Another interesting bird in this area was the brown pelican. A lot of the other birds were interesting but unfortunately, not knowing a lot about birds, I couldn't identify them.
Grasslands has another free flight area with finches, doves and more. They were quite vocal as well. And colorful. At the end of this exhibit were two lively parrots who chatted saying things like "hello" and "hi ya!" along with whistling. It was fun watching them and waiting to see what they would say next.
Canary's Call, Eagle Hall and Penguin Point all feature birds that you watch through the glass. The bald eagle was incredibly majestic. Seemed like he was strutting his stuff saying "yes, I know I am impressive!" And the penguins were quite fun to watch splashing and swimming around in their enclosure.
I had plenty to see, I just expected that the Aviary would be larger then it was with more to see. I guess if you go during normal hours your visit can be expanded by one of the feedings or shows. I also wish there was more signage or interactives to give visitors a better sense of what they were seeing (and hearing).
Overall, I really enjoyed the Aviary and will have a return visit.
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