Bird Park

I've been catching a fair amount of flak from Liz lately about hitting the grand old age of 26 (I am now closer to 30 than 20, I will be 40 in just 14 years, etc etc). She has also been calling into question my "new found" love of birds. Apparently I'm "always pointing them out" and "only over 50s do that". Naturally I have contested this vehemently, but lo and behold, in the way that these things sometimes happen, whilst looking through our guide book's entry on The Iguazu Falls, I stumble across the following sentence:

Five minutes' walk from the waterfalls is the worthwhile Parque Das Aves (Bird Park), a five hectare park where you can see some 800 different bird species

Now, come on, that sounds good doesn't it? I ventured it to Liz. "What? A park full of birds?" was the response, "How old are you again?". I then had to explain that the entrance price was even more expensive than for Iguazu Falls and, should we go, we'd be forced to eat from street vendors for the next few days. "I'll come with you, but only out of pity ..." she said, though I suspect she didn't want to miss the opportunity of laughing at me for spending so much money just to see some old birds.

Fortunately for me, the park was brilliant. Almost all the birds were multicoloured and tropical, and they lived in vast 15 storey high enclosures designed to replicate the different habitats found in Brazil. Visitors can walk through these enclosures surrounded on all sides by the curious and squawking birds. There was also a reptile section, complete with anacondas, turtles and alligators (though the walkway was sensibly raised for this area).

Highlights were numerous. There were the hundreds of multicoloured parrots:

The flamingo lake:

The friendly toucan that followed us around:

The anaconda, the emu, the peacock, and the enormous bird that looked like a dinosaur (I forget its name. It was kept behind a protective screen, because apparently this type of bird has a tremendous kick, and has been known to kill humans in the wild!):

The best was saved for last though - the Macaw enclosure! Not put off (for long anyway) by the numerous signs that said "Enter at your own risk" and "These animals bite!" we took the plunge and went in. We were greated by a cacophony of screeching, followed by a number of the Macaws flying directly at Liz's head, then swerving off to the side at the last minute. Strangely I was left pretty much alone. We took a seat in the middle of the enclosure, and tried to stick it out as long as possible. We were out within 3 minutes ... but what a 3 minutes! All the Macaws were wonderfully coloured, and great to look at ... before they dive bombed your head that is. Still, it was a fantastic sight and well worth the fear and potential minor head wounds: