Tweet Dreams ft. KL

Alright, here’s a riddle for ya.

What do you call a clairvoyant macaw?

-10 if you say McAvoy. (Why would you?)

+20 if you say Tarrot.

hehe.

Absolute bird brained humour right there.

When I was in KL, I discovered that the city has a lovely bird park. So on a nice Thursday morning, I set off on a Google Map trail to Tamanburung Kuala Lumpur or the KL Bird Park.

My journey to the bird park was by far the most adventurous. So, when I looked up the route, I saw that the closest Tube station to the Bird Park is one called Pasar Seni and from there you could either walk or take a cab.

Now, I decided to go all vocal for local travel and took a train to Pasar Seni and set out for a 40 minutes walk crossing roads and climbing hills till I finally reached the Bird Park. While the walk had me sweating out like a fountain, I got fully acquainted with the city and had a lovely morning walk through the KL Botanical Garden. So if you are up for some cardio, I would definitely recommend walking to the Bird Park, at least one way. Here’s some views from my walk.

The first picture is a layered skyline with the Twin Towers peeking in the distance. I love the mix and match in that picture. Like there’s the brick roofs, the intermittent trees, the fence and the sky scrapers all in one like a smoothie:) The second picture is the KL Planetarium which was closed when I visited but it’s definitely on my list for the next time. The third is a fountain outside the KL National Mosque. I love the blue shards on it! It gives the fountain a very futuristic look!

Here is the ticket counter at the Bird Park. And that’s Harry Hornbill on top:) Make sure you say hi! Honestly, I was glad for the cool shade when I finally got there cause my walk was through a rather humid weather and I had to cool off cause besides the intense cardio, I had stepped out wearing thick, winged liquid eyeliner and the perspiration had been rather intense so I was really close to looking like that girl in “The Orphan” if it hadn’t been for the welcoming ticket counter and its ventilation. I probably got close to the look tho, so I’ll let you lot decide….

Hehe….

The unique thing about the KL Bird Park is that the birds are not in cages. So when you enter the place, you basically walk with the birds and experience their habitat with them. I was not aware of this fact so when I stepped into the park, I was rather startled by a parrot flying right at my face and another one just beside my feet.

Good thing I had my camera ready at all times so I could capture the parrot swooping towards me. I was so impressed by its wingspan and the grace with which it flew. Also, this was the first time I saw a white parrot which thrilled me so much like, damn, that beak so slay!

hehe….

Here’s another parrot demonstrating the art of low flying. A tricky manoeuvre among avians.

I wrote that as though I am skilled in the art of flying myself. Hehe….:)

In truth, I’ve done it only once when I had Red Bull for the first time.

hehe.

This is one setup for water birds. As you can see, the bird park has a covered top and the greenery is seriously impressive. Besides, I loved the landscaping here, it’s so aesthetic!

Meet Scrooge, the Cattle Egret. I am aware Scrooge is a duck but this guy’s expression was so like the character that I had to name him that. I also love his white and caramel feathers, it reminds me of butterscotch ice-cream, hehe. He honestly looks as though he’s studying the Stork Market.

See what I did there?

You see the little box of tiny balls beside Scrooge? That is a vending machine of fish for the birds. One can obtain a ball of fish and feed the birds during feeding hours. I didn’t feed the birds this time but I really liked the idea of the vending machine:)

This picture is an accidental fusion masterpiece. I was busy focussing on the Milky Stork cause it was so amusing to see it atop a roof but it was only after I came to the hotel that evening when I saw that a peacock had photobombed the pic! It was so well camouflaged that I literally did not see it. It probably wanted to chat with the stork which brings me to an off-topic yet slightly relevant question.

Do birds call their social media Bicker?

I mean talk of mutual inspiration, we call ours Twitter so….

Yeah.

The Milky Stork should be called a Milkshake Stork cause it has those bursts of colour which align more to a milkshake.

This one’s called Milo btw. Say Hi!

When I saw that the Bird Park had a section for Pigeons, I felt a slight tinge of fear cause pigeons are reincarnations of the Devil himself no matter how much crows represent the Grim Reaper. But when I saw these two beauties, I realised that there are more varieties of pigeons than the holographic ones that you see in cities and that made me happy. The first one is a Dove, perched proudly on a branch. He looks as though his Mama told him he’s a brave eagle and now he’s pretending to be one. hehe.

The blue one is a Victoria crowned pigeon and it looks as though it is about to dance in the Swan Lake ballet:) It’s a beautiful bird and its crown is so chic.

This is a Kite who is cosplaying a popsicle:) I love how the bird is so chill and just watching the view. The Bird Park has a whole section dedicated to kites and hawks called Brahminy Land but not a lot of the birds were seen the day I visited. I was lucky though, to get this one without any crowd or photobombing as I wanted a picture of a solo Kite.

And this is the highlight of my tour at the Bird Park. I was walking through this clump of trees to beat the heat when I heard a rustling. I looked up to see this gem of a peacock posing so perfectly and I was lucky to get a picture just before it flew away. Peacocks never cease to amaze me. Besides, it is the national bird of India and seeing one always gives me that sense of patriotism.

I’ve always wondered why they call it a Pea-cock though cause it neither resembles peas nor a cock. They should call it Indibird cause it’s Indigo and belongs to India and it is a bird.

Where do I apply to change bird nomenclature?

hehe.

This is the first time I saw an Ostrich outside of books and when I came across it, I really wonder why they need to bury their heads in sand cause it looks like nothing can scare this bird. I was fully prepared to see a cute fur-baby but the way this fella was snapping at the fencing terrified me. It’s a dauntingly beautiful bird but there is something very Jurassic Park about it.

I was so mesmerised that I stayed outside its enclosure for a good ten minutes, experiencing the flightless fiend in its full glory.

No Bird Park is complete without flamingoes so here’s a bunch of the most “Soft Girl” birds with two Mily Storks standing in a row. Absolutely the loving the discipline here.

If ever you regret the fact that you can never see a dinosaur, try finding a cassowary and your regrets will vanish forever. I got quite a fright looking at this one cause it has that calm yet stern look and that horn makes it look very unique yet rogue. Cassowaries are said to be close relatives of dinosaurs so I am not surprised at the effect that the bird has. I was reliving Jurassic Park when I came across this one and I had a nice imaginative ride, picturing this baby going wild and chasing the tourists.

Her name is Calyx. She likes to headbutt.

Hehe.

The penultimate birds on this post are a hornbill and a toucan. I was so excited to see a yellow billed Hornbill up close and I hadn’t expected it to be so big. The Rhinoceros hornbill is the national bird of Malaysia and while I didn’t see that this closely, I was glad to get a glimpse of a national bird in-situ.

Toucans are my favourite! They seem so friendly and I love their colour scheme.

Before I wind up with the last picture of this post. Here is a piece of advice.

You are more likely to be murdered by geese than by serial killers who roam free.

Honestly, when I took this picture, I was like, ‘Oh, how sweet! Itty Bitty Duckies!’

Fast forward ten minutes and this same pack of Itty Bitty Duckies turned on War Mode and charged onto a family peacefully drinking water in the shade. And the noise was something that no living being should be capable of, it came from the depths of Tartarus. I almost thought the apocalypse is onto us.

And then there was a sign that said “Feed The Geese!”

Feed them what, Margaret? A sacrificial human being? I think I’d be less terrified of being in the same enclosure with a tiger than being in the one mile radius of a goose. Like I still get goose pimples just thinking about it. I think we should change the term to something like Egret Pimples cause Geese are incapable of fear.

The next animal vs. human movie should be about wild geese. God knows I’d love to see The Rock being hounded by a feral goose.

How’s that for the next Academy Award?

I also watched a bird show with mostly macaws doing tricks and talking but I don’t have pictures cause I was really into the show and I didn’t want to see it through a camera. The park has two bird shows and it’s short and sweet so I really recommend people to stay for them.

The KL Bird Park was one of the most unique places I’ve visited. It showed me the beauty as well as the terrifying side of birds and it made me mindful as to how we as humans need to respect the boundaries of wilderness while respectfully and peacefully coexisting with them. Before I finish, here’s a small photodump of some of the birds of the Bird Park.