Tracy Aviary offering more winter activities

SALT LAKE CITY — A few dozen visitors smiled and laughed Thursday morning as a red-crested turaco hopped from limb to limb inside Tracy Aviary's Calvin D. Wilson South America Pavilion.

Kids and grown-ups alike stretched their arms out in front of them as trainers encouraged the bird to jump from one arm to the next.

The twice-daily Birds in Flight program inside the new pavilion is just one way aviary visitors can have a close encounter with birds — even in the winter.

The South America pavilion, which opened in June, allows visitors to step in from the cold and view birds such as the keel-billed toucan and the helmeted curassow in aviaries designed to simulate the birds' natural habitats.

Elsewhere at the aviary, visitors can walk through the Kennecott Wetland Immersion Experience exhibit and become surrounded by native birds such as the white-faced ibis and black-necked stilts.

There are also interactive aviaries that allow people of all ages to enter the exhibit and feed birds, under the supervision of aviary staff.

"Part of our mission is to create a connection with nature and experiences that are intimate," curator Roger Sweeney said from inside an exhibit, as wild sun conures flew from person to person, nibbling on apples offered by trainers and aviary visitors.

"Rather than just looking at birds in cages, we invite them to come inside the birds' habitat, to get close to the birds and have an experience," he said.

Sweeney said winter is Tracy Aviary's "quiet time of year," as fewer people flock to the indoor/outdoor aviary in Liberty Park at 589 E. 1300 South than in spring and summer. The lack of crowds, though, creates a more secluded and private environment for visitors, he said.

"It allows for a little bit more intimate viewing of the birds," Sweeney said.

The June 12 oil leak near Red Butte Gardens that spilled into the pond at Liberty Park dampened the big opening Tracy Aviary officials expected for the South America pavilion.

The exhibit opened roughly a week after the leak was detected, which likely kept some potential patrons away throughout the summer, said Tim Brown, executive director at the aviary.

"Initially it was really pretty devastating," Brown said. "You anticipate have a huge increase, and we had a decrease."

Today, Tracy Aviary's attendance is up from a year ago, but not the 10 percent to 15 percent that traditionally comes with a new exhibit.

Part of that increase has to do with the increased winter offerings at Tracy Aviary, Sweeney said.

"We have a lot more activities in the winter than we've ever had before," he said.

For more information about Tracy Aviary, including hours, rates and activities, visit www.tracyaviary.org.

e-mail: jpage@desnews.com