March 16: The Exotic Birds of Jungle Gardens

There's a Zoological Park in Sarasota called Jungle Gardens. We went there about three years ago, but the kids were kind of young to really enjoy all aspects of it, so this year we returned. The park does a couple of different shows several times throughout the day, involving reptiles and birds mostly, but they also have different animal exhibits much like a traditional zoo. And, the grounds themselves are just beautiful - literally a jungle of tropical vegetation! What I really love though is that the majority of the animals in the Gardens have been adopted or taken in from owners who could no longer care for them. Thus, I don't mind paying the entrance fee or donating money for some of the activities in the park, as it goes to a good cause. This year, the kids were able to try several things they've never done before, such as hold a baby alligator, hand-feed flamingos and have an exotic bird sit on their arm. For the hell of it, I decided to give that last one a try myself. I've never been a big "bird person", that's more my wife. But, in the spirit of trying new things, I figured I might as well let a bird walk on my arm. I have to say, it was different than what I expected. The bird I selected, was much heavier than I thought it would be - probably 5 or 6 lbs. I don't know if it was a parrot, cockatoo or Macaw, but it sure was a beautiful species. I only had it on my arm for a matter of seconds, but in those seconds, like my own kids, I felt a sense of wonder and amazement. I know, it sounds corny, but I guess it's true that sometimes you get the most out of the little things in life.