Teen Naturalists Hug Flamingos and Learn About Endangered Birds at Denver Zoo
By Violet Mulcrone and Margaret Gray
We had an amazing time with the Boulder County Audubon Society Teen Naturalist program meeting and learning about birds at the Denver Zoo.
First, we went to the flamingo enclosure! It was very exciting. As the care takers opened the gates we saw a flamingo up close! They had set out chairs for us to observe the flamingos. The ambassador flamingos came up to us right away. It was such a special experience seeing a flamingo this close in person!
The care takers taught us a lot about the flamingos, and the two types they had there at the zoo were Chilean and American. The flamingos each had their own personality and quirks and were named after musicians. The caretakers had us hold our arms out because sometimes the flamingos would let you give them a hug.
Flamingo Hug! Photo by Courtney Rella.
At first, I was disappointed because none of the flamingos came to me but after a little bit one of the care takers led a flamingo toward me and I gave it a hug! It seemed very happy and it was very sweet! Everyone on the trip got to give the flamingos a hug! It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. We also got to feed the flamingos krill.
For the next part of the tour we got to go into the Bird Propagation Center. We were immediately greeted by a loud almost alarm sound, only to realize it was a cockatoo! The building wing we stepped into contained a few cockatoos and some other small birds. We learned a little about where they were from and how they ended up at the aviary. Then we got to see and hold some really awesome bird eggs, including flamingo eggs and ostrich eggs!
For our final visiting place we looked at another section of birds that are endangered, sick, or needed special care. It was so neat to see the caretakers had built special relationships with each of the birds.
Thank you so much, Carol McCasland and Courtney Rella for making this amazing trip happen! And thanks to the Denver Zoo for letting us go on this trip, and inspiring future birders!
To learn more about BCAS Teen Naturalists activities and find out when the next trips are, visit the Teen Naturalists webpage.