I recently visited Sylvan Heights Bird Park in Scotland Neck, North Carolina, with some friends. Sylvan Heights Bird Park has been open to the public since 2006, and it is home to more than 2,000 birds from around the world. The park sits on 28 acres with aviaries displaying birds from South America, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

We checked in at the front desk where we were given a map of the grounds and purchased bird food for hand-feeding parakeets and flamingos in The Landing Zone.

The first area we came to outside the visitors center was the Multinational Pond, with all sorts of waterfowl and a large flock of flamingos. It was amazing to begin our day with the sight of these beautiful, vibrant, pink birds. From there we headed straight to The Landing Zone since it has limited hours, and we wanted to make sure we got to experience it.

We entered the large screened-in aviary through two sets of doors that ensured all the birds stayed safe inside. Once inside, we could see hundreds of parakeets high up in every corner. Each of us grabbed the Popsicle stick with birdseed glued to it we had purchased. As we got close to the birds, one by one they left their perches and flew down to us. We each ended up with at least one parakeet enjoying our snack, sometimes two or three! Often the birds just sat on the stick and devoured the bird seed, but other times they tried to migrate up arms or land on peoples’ heads. One boy, maybe 2 years old, had one land on his head, and he didn’t quite know what to make of it; judging by the look on his face, he was about to cry. So my friend Joe calmly walked over to him with his Popsicle stick outstretched, and the bird happily hopped right on. Then he passed the bird from his stick to the stick of a little girl standing nearby who was eager to feed one. Most of us enjoyed the experience of interacting with the parakeets, but my friend Karen, like that little boy, may have a new fear of parakeets. Some of them could be a bit aggressive while trying to get the birdseed and may have nipped fingers by mistake.

After our interactive experience at The Landing Zone, we proceeded to walk the grounds of the park. I couldn’t help but wonder what the park must look like in summertime. I bet the gardens are gorgeous! Some trails meander through wetlands, and we passed by the Beaver Pond Blind and a tree house. Since it was winter, there wasn’t much to see, but that didn’t bother us as we were here for the birds, anyway.

I never knew there were so many different species of birds I had never even heard of! I found it entertaining to look at the chart next to each different exhibit, describing the birds housed there.

Some of my favorites were the demoiselle cranes, with stunning red eyes. These birds can fly up to 26,000 feet to cross the Himalayas during migration. The scarlet ibis is a brilliant red bird with a long beak that gets its color from eating shrimp, crabs and insects. The Victoria crowned pigeons also caught my attention with the fluffy plume of blue feathers on their heads. And the large cassowaries look like they escaped from the movie Jurassic Park.

My absolute favorite was a crowned crane that put on a little show for us. I’m pretty sure he was strutting his stuff in an attempt to scare us away, but I was not deterred — I was enthralled. I took a great video of his dance and put it to the music I imagine he may have had in his head.

I would love to return to Sylvan Heights Bird Park when the gardens are in full bloom and to visit our new feathered friends.

Sylvan Heights Bird Park
500 Sylvan Heights Park Way, Scotland Neck, NC 27874
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the spring and summer, and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the fall and winter. The park is closed on Mondays.

— Tracey Cullen, art director