Tracy Aviary and Wonderwood

The weather has been amazing this week and it continued through Saturday as we headed on a field trip to the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City with Wonderwood.  They have been studying birds so this was a chance to learn and see birds in person.

Here is our group.  It included about half the students at Wonderwood, parents and organizers and some peers.

Emily looking through a hole with her binoculars

They practiced their binocular skills on Wednesday so
Jena is using them here to look more closely at some owls.

Pelicans-
I wrote my first ever paper on pelicans.  It was in third grade and
I remember I chose them because it was the only animal I could draw at the time. 

Barney the Owl
His egg was saved by some miners who found it in a mine shaft.
Unfortunately the person who kept it didn't know about birds and Barney imprinted to a human rather than a bird.
He can fly and hunt but he sees himself as a human and doesn't relate to other birds
so he lives at the Aviary.

All the birds at the aviary are unable to live in the wild due to past injury or illness which has left them weaker or they come from situations where they weren't able to learn the right skills to live in the wild.

Jena and Maddie

Jena was nervous to go into the feeding cage with the birds.  But after a few minutes she relaxed and decided to hold a cup of blueberries for the birds to ear.  She did a great job and held very still and let the bird eat all of the blueberries.

While we were in the cage, one landed on my head.  Everyone loved that.  I got this self picture.  I heard some crunching but it wasn't until later than I discovered some seed shells in my hair. (Needless to say, I decided to take a shower before Gary and I headed to the temple last night.)

Emily and Jena

Our group had a tour guide who taught them (and me)  fun things about birds.  They got to touch feathers, bones, claws of different birds and even a skull of a turkey vulture.

 It has been a long time since I have been to the Aviary and they have really expanded and upgraded the exhibits.  I believe all of the birds are native to this area.  I loved these little black and white birds with very long red legs.  Isn't nature amazing--what is the point of long red legs except to bring beauty and diversity to our lives!

Can't wait to go again soon.