bird flight
I'm sure this is old hat for Pittsburgh locals, but the National Aviary on the Northside IS really amazing. That is, if you are not freaked out by birds buzzing your head. This happened more times than I could count, in the big indoor rooms, at the outdoor show . . . (thanks espd for getting me off my technically lazy ass to insert a link!!!)
The environments are great, the staff is fun, the birds are loud, lively, beautiful, numerous, odd. Only drawback, I went with a friend and her two year old. He didn't have the attention span for staring at birds. And we moved to quickly for me to read all the informative plaques. Which I love to do because I am a big nerd.
As for this outdoor show, they have birds flying in the rose garden and demonstrating their natural movements . . . pretty cool. But when they had the red tailed hawk out, a bunny (who, if you live in Pittsburgh, you would recognize as a non-Aviary related city resident) came hopping along and the woman running the show and everyone else waited with bated breath for a bloody encounter. But none. ANd THeN a local hawk started circling and the woman running the show explained that he probably felt threatened by the flying red tailed hawk.
So, that woman who wrote that best seller about wildlife in the DC suburbs (see, I told you the DC suburbs would rear their ugly head here) should check us out. The Hope of Snakes, Lisa Couturier. That's her.
there are more photos if you click on the post title "bird flight" the best are pawlesh's.
update Dec 6, 2005: I've removed the photo of the bird. you can still find it by clicking on the post title and searching the aviary site. but searches for this photo were clogging up my counter. this must be the world's most sought after bird photo, so i apologize.
Categories: pittsburgh, outdoors
The environments are great, the staff is fun, the birds are loud, lively, beautiful, numerous, odd. Only drawback, I went with a friend and her two year old. He didn't have the attention span for staring at birds. And we moved to quickly for me to read all the informative plaques. Which I love to do because I am a big nerd.
As for this outdoor show, they have birds flying in the rose garden and demonstrating their natural movements . . . pretty cool. But when they had the red tailed hawk out, a bunny (who, if you live in Pittsburgh, you would recognize as a non-Aviary related city resident) came hopping along and the woman running the show and everyone else waited with bated breath for a bloody encounter. But none. ANd THeN a local hawk started circling and the woman running the show explained that he probably felt threatened by the flying red tailed hawk.
So, that woman who wrote that best seller about wildlife in the DC suburbs (see, I told you the DC suburbs would rear their ugly head here) should check us out. The Hope of Snakes, Lisa Couturier. That's her.
there are more photos if you click on the post title "bird flight" the best are pawlesh's.
update Dec 6, 2005: I've removed the photo of the bird. you can still find it by clicking on the post title and searching the aviary site. but searches for this photo were clogging up my counter. this must be the world's most sought after bird photo, so i apologize.
Categories: pittsburgh, outdoors
posted by zoe p. at 5:00 PM
2 Comments:
I love the aviary! It's one of those unique 'burgh things that, sadly, more locals don't cherish. Thanks for writing about it!
ps to birds: wear a hat, the rose garden is sunny.
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