A week ago I finally got to see the SOAR bird show in the new ampitheatre. The show only runs during the summer, so on my last visit I missed it. On my visit before that, the ampitheatre was under construction. I have only seen a few bird shows in my life, and only one in recent years at the Los Angeles Zoo (unless you count the free flight demo at Arizona Sonora Desert Museum). So I am not really in a position to compare, but I was impressed beyond measure with SOAR.
It is hard for me to imagine any zoo doing a better bird show anywhere. My cousin was with me (also a photographer and zoo aficionado) and he really liked it too. And keep in mind both he and I are big mammal guys (me especially cats and he both cats and hoofstock).
I know many of you will want a list of species in the show, but I do not have it so do not ask. I will throw out a few I remember. It starts with several different kinds of birds flying into the stage from above and behind. No trainers on the stage at all yet, but the birds know where to go. A pair of some kind of black ibis (waldrapp?), trumpeter hornbill, some macaws I think and maybe some kind of hawk. Finally a kea that picks up a plastic bottle and drops it in the recycling bin.
Then the head trainer comes out and he runs the show. He is very young (to a middle-aged guy like me) and very funny. This show was incredibly entertaining and included some young volunteer participation. Various demonstrations with birds going from stage to posts behind the ampitheatre. Eurasian eagle owl, abysinnian ground hornbill, harris hawk, and others I forget. Volunteers got a wristband from the Parrot Conservancy (or something like that) and they also collected money for it at the end by allowing visitors to put dollar bills into the beak of a raven.
The stage is lined with a glass fronted water tank running the full width and I assumed this would be for penguins. It actually involved an alligator in a really humorous bit that took everyone by surprise. I cannot say any more without spoiling it for those who have not seen it. (But if the suspense is going to cause you to lose sleep, you can always PM me).
I just cannot say enough good things about this show. And thanks to the faster autofocus tracking on my new Sigma 85mm f/1.4 lens, I got several good bird in flight shots, which I never get (even though I had to crop most of them due to only 85mm length). Anyone visiting Dallas Zoo in the summer must see this show (offered three times a day).
It is hard for me to imagine any zoo doing a better bird show anywhere. My cousin was with me (also a photographer and zoo aficionado) and he really liked it too. And keep in mind both he and I are big mammal guys (me especially cats and he both cats and hoofstock).
I know many of you will want a list of species in the show, but I do not have it so do not ask. I will throw out a few I remember. It starts with several different kinds of birds flying into the stage from above and behind. No trainers on the stage at all yet, but the birds know where to go. A pair of some kind of black ibis (waldrapp?), trumpeter hornbill, some macaws I think and maybe some kind of hawk. Finally a kea that picks up a plastic bottle and drops it in the recycling bin.
Then the head trainer comes out and he runs the show. He is very young (to a middle-aged guy like me) and very funny. This show was incredibly entertaining and included some young volunteer participation. Various demonstrations with birds going from stage to posts behind the ampitheatre. Eurasian eagle owl, abysinnian ground hornbill, harris hawk, and others I forget. Volunteers got a wristband from the Parrot Conservancy (or something like that) and they also collected money for it at the end by allowing visitors to put dollar bills into the beak of a raven.
The stage is lined with a glass fronted water tank running the full width and I assumed this would be for penguins. It actually involved an alligator in a really humorous bit that took everyone by surprise. I cannot say any more without spoiling it for those who have not seen it. (But if the suspense is going to cause you to lose sleep, you can always PM me).
I just cannot say enough good things about this show. And thanks to the faster autofocus tracking on my new Sigma 85mm f/1.4 lens, I got several good bird in flight shots, which I never get (even though I had to crop most of them due to only 85mm length). Anyone visiting Dallas Zoo in the summer must see this show (offered three times a day).