By Theresa Woodward
It was after I visited and enjoyed the bird park at Ardastra Zoo and Gardens that I learned a few things and liked the position they took on education, and thought others might learn something as well.
Nothing qualifies me to critique these places, as I am not an expert but someone who is smitten with these generally loud, destructive, dusty, demanding and intelligent feathered creatures. So, in a moment of madness, on the beach after a couple of rums, I sent a quick email off to Parrots magazine and suggested perhaps I should write about a few of these bird parks. The answer came back - yes. Well, that sobered me up!
In my real life, I work for an airline, so I get to fly long haul and visit lots of countries. When I am down route, I bore everyone with photos, as well as talking about my birds, and usually find somewhere to go to see birds. I've seen some shocking places and some excellent ones. I am not an expert in anything except, perhaps, pouring tea and coffee, so these visits to bird parks and zoos are purely from a visitor’s viewpoint.