Tawny Frogmouth

Podargus strigoides
Seen at Kentucky Down Under, this bird is native to Australia.

Kangaroo says: It's Hot!

The recent heat wave we've had around here reminds me of what it was like on a trip I made a couple of years ago. On a trip to Kentucky Down Under in Horse Cave, KY it may have been the hottest day of the year! At KDU, you can walk amongst and pet the kangaroos. This kangaroo had a priceless expression, as if to put up its hands and give up.

Fun fact: to beat the heat, often the kangaroos will lick their arms and legs to help cool them off

Laughing Kookaburra at Kentucky Down Under (video)

Seen at Kentucky Down Under near the city of Horse Cave, KY. This bird is native to Australia and is known for it's distintive call. In fact, the call is frequently added as a sound effect in movies that are set in the jungle or a rain forest (even though there are no kookaburras there!) Here's a video:

Lorikeet feeding

This is seen at Kentucky Down Under near Horse Cave, KY. The guide said if you've ever been somewhere else where you get to feed lorikeets (such as the Nashville Zoo), they probably came to research how at KDU, the first place to offer this attraction.

There must be something about the way I sweat, but at both KDU and the Nashville Zoo, several lorikeets came up to my face and started licking me. I liked it at first but it became disconcerting after a short while.

Lorikeets at Kentucky Down Under

Seen at Kentucky Down Under. The guide said if you've ever been somewhere else where you get to feed lorikeets (such as the Nashville Zoo), they probably came to research how at KDU, the first place to offer this attraction.