An oasis in the desert is the hotel for the birds. Some birds are tourists enjoying the waterhole and free food, while others have lived in this paradise for many years. Several waterfalls pour into a large koi pond that is home to over 300 fish, 20 turtles, and over 60 birds. This certainly would be a romantic scene for a wedding near the waterfall and garden.
We saw many huge Japanese Koi and an Albino Channel Catfish, as well as some mallard ducks enjoying the pond.
Some lucky birds have been rescued, mended, and cherished by some very loving attendants at the Flamingo Wildlife Habitat.
You could tell the residents apart from the visitors because they were a bit territorial at feeding time. Apparently, the European Shelduck can be quite quarrelsome.
We saw an elegant Australian black swan with a brilliant bill gracefully float by to make his presence known.
We found a hummingbird feeder, but we didn’t witness any hummingbirds. These year round visitors are welcome guests because they dine on all of the tiny bugs that are attracted to the hotel windows.
Apparently there are 20 water turtles here, but we only saw just this one swimming past us to say hi.
This beautifully maintained park is free on the Strip and open to the public during daylight hours. The best time to go is either 8:30 am or 2:00 pm when the pelicans are being fed by a friendly caretaker who educates everyone present about the animals and answers all of your questions that you may have.
The speaker told us that these two pelicans were found in California wrapped in some fishing line. Their damaged wings were repaired but they are permanently disabled. They are named Bugsy and Virginia, after Bugsy Siegel and his girlfriend, who opened the first resort casino on the Strip.
Bugsy named the hotel Flamingo because of his girlfriend’s long legs and red hair.
Displayed in the front lobby are some interesting historical photographs on the wall next to a giant birdcage that holds a handsome Macaw named Captain, who was rescued when he was 5 months old. We tried to get him to talk to us, but he was taking a coffee break and didn’t want to be disturbed.
In the back hallway, there is another huge birdcage that holds some lovely cockatiels.
One of them was very friendly, came over and even bent down so that my daughter could pet him! “It was so soft!” she exclaimed when we left.
We were provided with an informative brochure that explained about all of the different animals. This would be a great place to take your kids for a free educational excursion, on your way to the pool of course! I know my mother, my daughter and I really enjoyed it.
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