My daughter is helping out a friend by entertaining the woman's son for the day. I recently bought a family pass for the zoo, which lets us take a small army with us into both the Stone and the Franklin Park Zoos. It's supposed to be about a gazillion degrees today with humidity in the bazillions, so we decide to go to the smaller and closer Stone Zoo. (We also don't feel like hanging around into the dog day afternoon waiting to see the Boston animals that apparently show on Hawaii time.)
The Stone Zoo is under massive reconstruction and improvements, so their usual routine has been interrupted. It isn't until we are halfway through the zoo that we notice a sign directing us to the Birds of Prey Show. When I was here two weeks ago, this show wasn't ready yet because the Birds of Prey pavilion was still inside the construction area.
The Birds of Prey Show is an open-air demonstration of various wild birds from different continents. I have been to this show before but not for a long time. Many of the birds who were in the show years ago are long gone. However, I know enough about the outdoor amphitheater to look for hidden perches and stoops. Judging from the location of said perches and from our angle to the presentation area, we are sitting in what I can only refer to as "the catbird seats."
Catbird seats are situations that end up being envied by others, and these situations may appear to be purely accidental, though they are actually well-calculated and planned. The presenters probably think they have amateurs on their hands and are chuckling, "Oh, look at those poor, unsuspecting fools sitting up there away from the crowd. They're going to shit their pants when the birds head straight for them."
Because of our forethought and strategic placement, my daughter's young friend gets to have a hawk, a vulture, two owls, macaws, and various other birds of prey fly practically right at his face. I take the corner seat, blocked somewhat by the chain link enclosure, a seat which allows the birds to fly barely eight inches over my hairline.
I know four things that I must do as these massive and majestic birds dive at me in search of the perch directly behind my head: 1. Don't stand up or move; 2. Don't raise the camera when the bird is in flight right at me; 3. Don't flail my arms; 4. Show no fear.
The show is only a half hour long, but we are stuck to the metal bleachers by our own body sweat when it's all over. If anyone in the area decides to attend the Birds of Prey demonstration, the show is (now) FREE of charge with admission.
If it's a disgustingly hot and humid day like today, search out seats in the shade, but remember -- if there's a perch behind you, there's going to be a bird or two or five directly (and I do mean DIRECTLY) flying right at your face, which, even on the hottest of days, may be the coolest thing you'll ever experience.
