JULY 2023

Tropical Bird Show

If there’s one activity that will always be a hit with the clients, it’s anything to do with animals. And when we say animals, we mean the entire breadth of the animal kingdom – mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and fish. If we made a list of every creature we’ve visited or have invited to our day program over the years, we would break the internet. We’ll name a few anyway: wolves, snakes, goats, sheep, dogs, rabbits, lizards, llamas, pigs, and ostriches – and those are just in the past three years. Today, however, was all about the birds, specifically the exotic and tropical kind.

Early last year, we hosted a Reptile and Amphibian show through the NJ Snake Man organization (www.njsnakeman.com). It was so popular with the clients and staff that we decided to host them at our day program again this summer, but we wanted to host a different show than the first time. Enter in our Event Planning Meetings.

During our Wednesday Event Planning meetings, therapists and clients plan out the weekly Fun Friday events for the month, and it’s a rule to always let the clients make the final decisions regarding the activities. Consider the therapists during these meetings more like guides than commanders. When discussing potential experiences from the NJ Snake Man, we discovered that birds can be a polarizing topic of conversation – however, after some spirited debate, the Tropical Bird show won the vote.

We did ask to have back the same educator, Tina, who hosted the Reptile & Amphibian show last year. Tina was extraordinary interacting with our clients and she turned out to be equally remarkable this time around. The Tropical Bird Show was a mix between hands-on interactions and education; the clients were able to get up close and personal with the birds while at the same time learning some astonishing facts about them.

A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

Maya Angelou

For example, did you know the average tropical parrot has a 60 year lifespan, with some birds living 75 years and a rare few to more than 100 years old? Also, a fully mature parrot has the intellectual capacity of a 5-year-old child – they can learn 2,000-3,000 different words! Hey, we didn’t know those facts either until Tina came along. As for the hands-on interactions, Tina brought along Big Blue, who is a one-year-old blue and gold macaw. We were also visited by an African Grey parrot and a few smaller parakeets as well. Although we shouldn’t be surprised anymore, we were shocked at the bravery of the clients when it came to letting the birds sit on their heads for pictures! Big Blue wasn’t shy either – he flapped, chewed, and sang his way around the entire client roster by the end of the event. For anyone who was hesitant about this event before it took place, they were quickly won over by Tina and her feathery crew. Thank you to the NJ Snake Man and to Tina for consistently giving our clients and staff truly memorable experiences.