With all the rain yesterday, Thursday; my wife Denise and I, decided a field trip to The National Aviary, America's premier bird zoo, located on the downtown northside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was a good rainy day activity. For us, living in Mahoning County, it is only a sixty-five mile drive.  A visit to this first class birding destination, home to over 500 birds, is highly recommended by us. Live in flight birds of the world, and also North America, can be found in walk thru, no cage, botanical wonderlands, such as tropical rain forest, wetlands, and grasslands, just to name a few. Some of our favorite, to maybe be seen in North America birds on display at The Aviary, were; two Steller's Sea Eagles in an outdoor enclosure viewed from inside, a pair of Burrowing Owls with one little one in a desert setting, Greater Roadrunner's doing their thing, and a pair of Smew's in a year round outdoor rocky coast pool. The biggest surprise is when you enter The Grasslands area and have two Scissor-tailed Flycatchers zipping by you and have a Northern Bobwhite loudly calling several feet away. A visit to The Wetlands gets you up close to Roseate Spoonbills, Brown Pelicans, Snowy Egrets, and Ruddy Ducks. Amazingly, up close, nest building by some of the smaller birds, can be presently seen. Live bird shows and interactive encounters are taking place all day long. We suggest allowing no less than three hours for a visit. There is an admission and parking fee required, but it is worth it. The National Aviary is located at 700 Arch Street, just northeast of Heinz Field and The Rivers Casino. Hours are seven days a week from 10AM to 5PM. 
 
Bob and Denise Lane / Mahoning County  
                                          
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