Cyclone Monica and our Fascination with Birds

 (Léase en español / Read in Spanish)

We are fascinated with birds. We are fascinated by their antics, their habits, their songs. We are curious to seek out and identify species that are new to us. We love to shoot them with our camera and capture them on film. However, our fascination with birds has not been a lifelong one. The truth is, this fascination started in 2006, and the funny thing about it is we owe it to a cyclone.

In April 2006 we spent three weeks in the ‘Land Down Under’. And as chance would have it, shortly after we arrived in Cairns, in northeastern Australia, Cyclone Monica made landfall. Although Cairns was not in the direct path of the storm, there was still enough wind and rain that at one point the roads in and out of Cairns had to be closed. So we were forced to cancel some of our planned activities and found ourselves ‘trapped’ in Cairns.

Oddly enough, being trapped is what gave birth to our fascination with birds. Our principal motive for going to Cairns was to snorkel. But since snorkeling in a cyclone was clearly out of the question, and we couldn’t leave the city, what were we to do?


Well, we went to the roof of a hotel. That’s right! In downtown Cairns was a hotel with a huge rooftop aviary that contained quite a few birds and animals indigenous to Australia. (It was called Cairns Wildlife Dome and is still there. Click here to visit their website.) We ended up spending the entire day there, only leaving to eat lunch. We used their brochure showing the birds that could be seen as a checklist and were able to find all of them, even one that wasn’t on the list!

We have fond memories of one bird in particular; a black cockatoo named Zorro. On entering the dome we got a picture of him perched on a branch with me standing beside him. Shortly afterward we noticed that Zorro was flying from place to place following us. And by the afternoon he perched on my shoulder for quite some time as we continued exploring the dome.
 

We recently contacted the staff at the Cairns Wildlife Dome and were told that Zorro passed away in January 2008 from a heart condition. He was not much older than 10, which is sad since cockatoos can live to be 100 years old! Melissa van der Boom, presently the Wildlife Supervisor at the Dome, was working there at that time and told us: "We were all devastated and he was ceremoniously buried at the Dome. He knew how to make everyone welcome, better than the staff could ever do." Isn’t it amazing the effect that animals can have on us?

Sure, we already knew that birds existed before this experience, and in general we have always loved exploring nature and understanding it better. But it was on this trip that our fascination with birds was kindled. So once we got back home we decided to buy a book about the birds that could be found in the area we lived. And our fascination has only grown since then. Thank you, Monica. And thank you, too, Zorro!

And now, here we are in Bolivia. On the continent with about one third of the world’s birds. The variety of birds in South America is double to that of its closest rival continent. While making arrangements to move here, we hoped we would have the opportunity to learn about many more fascinating birds. And let me tell you, we have not been disappointed!

What about you? Are you a birder, a bird watcher, or just curious about birds? Then stay tuned for future posts in this blog about the birds of Bolivia. You won’t be disappointed either!

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 (Léase en español / Read in Spanish)