US East Coast 2018: Animal Magic in "Magic City"

A new day in a new country.

The boys arose at 5 in the morning excited at the prospects of adventure in a new land. And indeed our first adventure came from a huge thunderstorm overnight, and our shoes were soaked to the core. This meant that we had to spend the first part of our morning drying shoes with a hair dryer.

All set with still-damp socks and shoes, we headed out to our first sight in America, the Flamingo Gardens Wildlife Sanctuary. This is a place which takes in and cares for injured and unwanted animals that are not able to otherwise survive in the wild. Established in 1927, the Flamingo Gardens is an iconic feature of the Miami area, and houses more than 3,000 species of plants and the largest collection of Florida wildlife. In a sense, this served as an introduction to the many species of wildlife that we would be seeing over the next two weeks.

Flamingo Gardens is home to the iconic pink bird; a sight to behold!

The barred owl.

"Good Morning," said one iguana to another. "Nice to meet you," came the reply.

We remember most the animal encounter experiences, where we got up close and personal with animals native to Florida.

This baby alligator was injured badly and now cannot feed independently.
He has been living in the Gardens since he was rescued.

The flamingoes and other birds come readily to you if you happen to have food on hand.

It was also fascinating to witness how the birds of prey (also known as raptors) were fed.

A keeper from the Gardens showing us the male chicks that would be the food of the day.

A barred owl having lunch.

Our sons were particularly drawn to a baby eastern screech owl, which they named "Little Hoodie" affectionately.

This was one of our favourite owls, "Little Hoodie" the eastern screech owl.

Our 6yo's depiction of "Little Hoodie", drawn as part of his reflection for the day.

This is our 8yo's version. Interesting to observe the perspectives of both boys.

In addition to our personal encounters with the Florida wildlife, we particularly enjoyed the historical Wray Residence. This was originally set up as a weekend retreat by Floyd L. and Jane Wray; and from our visit we got an idea of what life was like in a typical South Florida country home in the 1930s.

The Flamingo Gardens was originally founded as an orange grove, and the Wray Residence was built for the couple to
entertain friends and enjoy time while they were staying in the city.

The Wray Residence was preserved to maintain the feel of the 1930s. Mr Wray was reported to have said, ""You are welcome to Flamingo [Gardens], and are invited to spend as much time as you desire, my only request being...that you help us preserve this beauty spot for others."

This is where the Wrays often entertained. Apparently Mrs Wray was an accomplished pianist.

In those days kitchen stoves were multi-functional and were even used to warm irons.

All in all we had a great time; our older son kept beckoning for us to go to him each time he saw a new animal, while the younger one shared almost tearfully that "I think I'm going to cry, I love this walk so much!"

It was indeed a magical experience for everyone in Miami, the "Magic City" of America!

Our Adventure Begins - How it happened. Read here.
The Next Page - Experiencing surrealism in the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Read here.
From the Beginning - Start reading the record pages of our US East Coast Travel Adventure here.

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