The NeNes are Breeding!

It looks like spring has arrived in our valley and the birds definitely think so! The two peacocks, white and blue, are busy displaying for their hens daily, delight­ing visitors to the Pioneer Park Aviary.

One of our breeding pairs of NeNe, or Hawaiian, hatched goslings March 12, and they can be seen explor­ing their world in the lower pond enclosure with their parents. The NeNe is an endangered species, and the aviary's breeding program has been extremely success­ful. Last years' five goslings traveled to Utah in February as part of a breeding loan agreement in an effort to help distribute bloodlines to ensure a healthy breeding population.

Recent hatchlings, are two Grey Peacock chicks, hatched on April Fool's Day! They can be viewed through the nursery window at the main aviary building. The Grey Peacock Pheas­ant is the national bird of Myanmar and is distributed in lowland and hill forests of mainland Assam and South­east Asia.

Sprucing up the aviary for a spring cleaning were ten AmeriCorp volunteers on April 4. The hardwork­ing group worked all day performing 60 hours of community service! They spread sand in the pheasant enclosures, raked, weeded, pruned, and removed sticks from the lower pond net. Helping with this effort was 4-H member, Makenzie Frost. She is a member of the Ranch and Home 4-H Club.

Friends of Pioneer Park Aviary are preparing for spring as well. They will hold a Benefit Yard Sale at the aviary on May 10-12. If you have quality items to donate please call 527-4403, 525-3487 or 876-4299. One hundred percent of the pro­ceeds will benefit the aviary. Last spring's sale was a huge success.

To assist with raising funds, a benefit concert, "Bluegrass is for the Birds" will take place Friday, April 19 at the Plaza Theater, 208 Main Street in Waitsburg. The concert will feature The Blue Mountain Barnstorm­ers and Kate & The Blue­grass Gentlemen. Tickets are available at the door and at Coppei Coffee in Waitsburg.

Photos of the aviary's feathered friends are current­ly on display at the YMCA for the month of October. Response to the pictures has been terrific and we hope they encourage people to visit the birds and maybe adopt one!