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For the Birds

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Anyone who has been to DRC has most likely met and spoken with our feathered family. Buck, the resident sulfur crested cockatoo particularly enjoys talking with guests and everyone who passes by his home. Buck, along with Gergoyle (blue front amazon), Chicken and Mr. Parrot (Military Macaws), Merlin, Rainbow and Calypso (Blue & Gold Macaws) reside in our aviary next to the children’s area.

All except Calypso, our most recent addition to the family, have resided at DRC for many years. DRC staff and volunteers lovingly care for them every day. Our guests love to stop and chat with them on their way out to the lagoons. The current Aviary was built in the late 1990s. It had "elephant grass" roofs that sustained significant damage in the storms of 2004 and 2005. These were replaced with palm tiki roofs when the Causeway Tiki was built in 2005. The storm surge from Hurricane Wilma in the late fall of that year shifted the very foundation of the aviary.

We recently needed to make extensive repairs to the birds’ home. We replaced all three roofs and all the supporting wooden cross bars. Wooden supports were added to the inside to lift the roof that had sunk to the point that doors into individual spaces could not be opened all the way.

Although these steps have been accomplished, there is significant more work that still needs to be done to ensure the security, comfort and well-being of the birds. The specially-sized galvanized cage material shows signs up rust. This not only puts rust within the reach of the birds, but it also compromises the integrity of the cage material which increases the safety issues. The main door to the aviary, which permits access to the individual cages within does not close securely and the spot where it latches is broken. The French Drain - six inches of gravel - that surrounds the aviary needs to excavated and the gravel replaced.

Our commitment to providing a secure and healthy home for the birds is as strong as it is to protecting the habitat for the dolphins and sea lions. Our feathered friends depend on us! As you can imagine, the cost to achieve the remaining repairs to the birds’ home mounts up.

Thank you so much for your support. Learn more about our feathered family

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Our Mission - Through education, research and rescue, Dolphin Research Center promotes peaceful coexistence, cooperation and communication between marine mammals, humans and the environment we share with the well being of DRC's animals taking precedence.
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