Bali Bird Park 2024

This time last year I was visiting the popular island of Bali to attend my friend’s wedding. She is from Jakarta and married her lovely fiancé who is Balinese.  It was so wonderful to be part of a local wedding, and the Indonesian people are so warm and friendly.

As a lover of birds I was keen to visit Bird Park in central Bali. As I don’t like the scooters most tourists are willing to use, I arranged a car to travel the 20km from where we were staying on the east side of the island, but of course with the congested streets this took well over an hour, but hey it was air conditioned!

The ticket price was quite expensive but as tourism can be both a good thing and bad for the locals, and with the wonderful work they do caring for these birds, I was more than happy to pay.Upon walking past the main building and café there were many big beautiful parrots and macaws on show. They were free to do as they wished but generally stayed with the handler (no doubt food may have been a motivator here).

Of course, ultimately most birds are housed in cages. Not really getting around this, but the birds did look healthy, and the cages were as large as could be expected. To imagine these birds in nature and with full freedom is what ultimately drives conservation work and education centers such as Bali Bird Park. There were beautiful examples of local birds and most native to greater Asia. Many are so different from our New Zealand native birds, so it was fascinating to see their forms and hear the calls they make. I love how the sound of birds creates a beautiful atmosphere to the place they call home. With this experience (although a year ago already!) I am keen to work on a few art pieces incorporating these Asian birds. I may even try a different medium such as oil paint - which is quite different from my usual pen and pencil! But hey let’s try something new!