Yes the Birds Are Interesting, but Look at this Stick!

Claire's friend Lindsay came to visit last weekend.  She likes birds, so we took her to the Carolina Raptor Center.  They have a large collection of owls and eagles and hawks and other big birds from all over the world on display.  They had all been injured by various human activities and couldn't be returned to the wild.  So I didn't get that sick guilty feeling that I normally get at zoos (i.e. "Thanks for giving up your freedom in the wilderness so I can stare at you and make noises that vaguely resemble your vocalizations.").

Benjamin had trouble seeing the birds that were in chain link cages, and focused as always on the artifacts in his immediate vicinity, like gravel, sticks, and cigarette butts.  There were some nice "hands on" items (like the plastic eagle egg, below) and they had a table set up with a morbid assortment of amputated bird wings for kids to touch.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The sanctuary staff were giving a talk about vultures as we walked past the vulture cage. They said that vultures were smarter than a 2 or 3 year old child. A few minutes earlier, Benjamin had accidentally somersaulted over a wood fence rail, tiny feet flailing in the air. He was ok, but we had to agree about the comparative intelligence of the vultures.