GILROY
– Set against a backdrop of local landscape and various potted
ferns and plants, Bonfante Gardens’ latest attraction, Wild Wings,
features 20 different birds from around the world.
GILROY – Set against a backdrop of local landscape and various potted ferns and plants, Bonfante Gardens’ latest attraction, Wild Wings, features 20 different birds from around the world.
The 30-minute performance features several boldly colored macaws, parrots, a white sulfur crested cockatoo, a Eurasion eagle owl and many other birds.
“I liked seeing the condor in person and in flight,” San Jose resident Vicki Robles said. “I’d only read about them before.”
The birds soar and interact with the audience throughout the half-hour show. At one point, a guest is invited to hold out a $10 bill and let a green-winged macaw “borrow” it for awhile. Later, four children are asked to hold neon green hula hoops over their heads while the only free-flying cockatoo in the United States dives through the middle.
“My favorite part was when the black bird flew through the hoops,” said Laura Wedding-Washburn, daughter of Hollister resident and season pass holder Robin Wedding-Washburn. She added that they would definitely see the show again.
That sentiment was echoed by Barb Granter, vice president of Bonfante Gardens.
“Each performance is unique and ever-changing, so guests will want to catch the show more than once this season,” Granter said.
Mixed in with the show are facts about the birds and environmental lessons, and the performers encourage the audience to ask additional questions after the show.
As for training the birds, “it takes a lot of time and a lot of patience,” Head Trainer Amy Whalen said. Whalen explained that the birds are all trained through positive reinforcement, a process that rewards the birds when they accomplish a trick but doesn’t punish them if they fail.
In addition, all the birds were born in the United States, so no wild populations were damaged to create the show. Most of the parrots came from breeders, and several of the more exotic birds, including a giant condor, were donated from zoos.
The show, which runs three times a day during the weekdays and four times a day during the weekend, started in late May and is scheduled to run through Labor Day, Sept. 6. The price for the show is included in park admission.
Details: Visit www.bonfantegardens.com or call 840-7100.
