Sylvan Heights Bird Park

Team Frowow visited the Abuelitos (Andres's parents) for Easter.  We are so lucky that they live only an hour away!  Upon arriving, Consuelo (Andres's mom) suggested we go to Sylvan Waterfowl Park.  I smiled and nodded and pretended to be very enthusiastic.  In reality, my inner monologue was like, "Water foul?!?  You want to take Max to some filthy, stanky water treatment facility?!?  We are all going to die!!!"

In reality, waterfowl is some sort of scientific code word for birds.  Now my inner monolgue was saying, "ewww, birds" but even I know birds are better than stanky water.  

We packed up and drove to Scotland Neck, NC.  Scotland Neck is in the middle of nowhere, but somehow is home to an 18-acre avian display.  How does stuff like that happen?  I think it's the largest in America or something crazy, but I couldn't find a statistic like that on their website. Here is something that confused me:  it's called a waterfowl park, but not all the birds lived in the water (i.e., they weren't all ducks, flamingos, or geese).  The animal kingdom puzzles me. 

Here we are about the enter the park.  I had to get one last pick with my boy before getting mauled by waterfowl.

Here we are inside the park.  I'm smiling through my fear.
"Hey, Heather, have you ever heard of sunglasses?"  "No."

One of the main attractions of the park is a huge cage where an outrageous amount of these little birdies flit and flutter around your head.  For $1.00, you can purchase a stick of food and the birds will land on you, freak you out, and possibly give you avian diseases.  I put on my brave face to allow Max to have this one-of-a-kind experience.  Oh, the things we mothers do.

 Max's face says it all.  I'm with you, buddy.

 A little birdie landed on Max's foot.  That bird knew a sweet thing when he saw it.  And I took deep breaths and tried to keep my composure.  Inner monologue at this moment:  "Germs!  Disease!  Germs!  Disease!" 

 After exiting the aviary, Andres took a family shot.  This one is posed.

 And this one is true to form.

 I got a shot of some parrots because Max is half Colombian.  Fact:  in EVERY book taking place in Latin America, one or more of the characters will own a pet parrot.  By every I mean books by Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

 "You're still not wearing sunglasses?"  "No.  I am not."

 But the smarter, more beautiful Aunt Mariana is.
All in all, the waterfowl park was an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.  It's always nice to do something out of the ordinary.  I do plan to take Max again when he is older.  I think it will be great learning opportunity and he will have a great time feeding the birds.