Air & Sea: Birds and Dolphins in Harmony

What a surprise to find these pretty birds at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida (also called home of Flipper the TV dolphin). When I entered the gates, who was I greeted by but a pair of Macaws. The human representative with them assisted as a translator in talking with the birds .... introductions, sharing kisses, and photo ops, etc. On the other side of the park, tucked away in a little corner are these regal, friendly, and well behaved tropoical birds. Only a bird lover would go to a seaquarium to swim with the dolphins, and come home with more photos and memories of the birds than of the dolphins. (The dolphins are were great too. So smart and playful. Smooth silky skin.)

But back to the birds now. Having a home for the birds in the park offers a great contrast of living creatures to see and think about. There were the wonderful water creatures, many of which were large to gigantic in size (dolphins, manatees, orca whales), and of dark or muted colors, with smooth or shiny skin, and oh-so-quiet. In contrast, there were the light, feathery, air creatures in all the glory of their intense colors...our bird friends...and oh-so-noisy they can be. Visitors were delighted to stroll through the bird habitat and absorb the fun and sensational colors, listen to the raucous sounds, and watch them cooing over each other. The birds were not in cages, and were free to move about. However, most of them were content to just sit on a high perch with his or her partner and show off.

The Miami Seaquarium was a nice way to spend an afternoon. Don't miss the Topdeck Dolphin show. The swim with the dolphin experience wasn't too shabby either.

Bring a camera.

What have we learned? Surprises are everywhere...keep looking for them.