The Second Annual Sylvan Heights Chili Cook-Off

Does the mere mention of your chili bring tears of joy to your family's eyes? Do dinner guests magically appear at your door when you are in the kitchen stirring a bubbling pot of chili? Then maybe you should think about entering the second annual Sylvan Heights Chili Cook-Off!

The Grand Prize winner will take home $250, and a second $100 prize will be awarded to the winner of the People's Choice.

What's that you say? You can't cook worth beans, but you are a chili-lover at heart? Or maybe you are on a deadline and can't enter your winning recipe this year? Then never fear, you can still join us and bring all your friends to cast your votes for your favorite chili. We'll supply the tasting cups, you supply the taste buds.

The event takes place on March 19th, at Sylvan Heights from 6 to 9 pm. Tickets are now available for $15 at the Park's gift shop. For more information and contest rules, send an email to info@shwpark.com or call 252.826.3186

We hope to see you ALL there!

The Great Backyard Bird Count

This weekend, people all over the United States and Canada will be participating in the 14th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). This year, the GBBC runs Friday, February 18th, through Monday, February 21st.

Sylvan Heights is happy to welcome local students who will be counting our native birds at the park on Friday at 10 a.m. And we invite all of you to come out and visit us this weekend.

Our location has attracted a wide variety of bird species over the last few years, including pileated woodpeckers, prothonotary warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, bald eagles, red-shouldered hawks, and many, many more. Just a few weeks ago, a small group of sandhill cranes were seen regularly around the park.

The four-day count takes place every February, and averages 10 million bird observations. People of any age can participate and no experience is necessary. Contrary to its name, you do not have to count birds in your own backyard, but can elect to count them anywhere - at a local park, school, etc. The project itself is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

• First, participants commit to counting birds for at least 15 minutes during one or more days of the count.

• Second, during your count, you record the highest number of birds of a single species (i.e., 5 cardinals, 8 house finches, 2 chickadees, etc.) that you see at one time.

• Last, submit your data by going to the website and entering your checklist.

A joint effort between Cornell University and the Audubon Society, as well as Bird Studies Canada, this Citizen Science Project is a valuable tool for scientists studying local bird populations. The data recorded help them to monitor the effects of changing weather patterns or diseases on bird populations, compare migratory behaviors to previous years, and monitor "irruptive" species (birds that appear in great numbers some years and not in others).

To learn more about the Great Backyard Bird Count, visit their website at http://www.birdcount.org/.  It has a wealth of information and includes games and activities for kids like puzzles, coloring pages and bookmarks. You can also learn more about birds, flip though their photo gallery, and even see last year's bird count results.

We Are Open Again!

The park is now open once again. Our South America exhibit will remain closed until all the repairs have been made, but all other areas of the park are now accessible to the public. Hope to see you all here soon!

Closed For The Year...

All photos by K. Gipple

Sylvan Heights will be closed until the end of the week while we assess the extent of the damage and begin repairs to the Park and the Breeding Center, which resulted from this past weekend's heavy snow storm.

While the majority of the damage occurred at the Breeding Center, all the staff from both the Park and the Center have been working throughout the daylight hours to save birds and salvage the aviaries which collapsed under the tremendous weight of snow. A few birds were injured by the collapsing pens and some were buried under the snow that ranged from 12 to over 15 inches in depth.

Thank you to all our friends who have quickly responded to our call for help. We are most grateful for your generosity. And we are also extremely appreciative to those zoos who have responded to our request by sending crews over to help rebuild pens and aviaries.

For the moment, birds have been relocated into unaffected aviaries and temporary pens have been built while repairs are being made. If you would like to help, the park could use live Christmas trees as cover and sight barriers to help these relocated birds adjust to their new surroundings and provide shelter. So rather than leave your trees by the curbside this year, please consider donating them to us. To donate your tree, please call 252-826-3186.

Unique Gifts for Your Friends and Family

If you are still looking for some unique gift ideas this holiday season, here are some that the park has to offer...

• Gift Passes:  Next year our price of admission will be going up a wee bit. But if you buy a gift pass to the park now, you'll lock in this year's rate!

• A Year's Membership: Members receive free admission to the park all year long, a 10% discount in the gift shop, and a subscription to our Park newsletter. In addition, your membership also grants you free admission to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, the NC Aquariums, and the Nature Center in Asheville. Members are also invited to a special program, Waterfowl Reunion, once a year in the spring, where members enjoy complimentary refreshments and can get up close and personal with the park's new hatchlings.

• Feed a Duck for a Year: This special program helps to care for the birds in the park. Your donation of $100 enables you to be the proud sponsor of one of the amazing birds in our collection for a year. Comes with a sponsorship certificate that you can display at home or at work.

• Visit the Park's Gift Shop: Our store has many beautiful gifts in a wide ranges of prices to please anyone on your list. From books to clothing, puzzles to jewelry, we have some excellent products that people of any age can enjoy.

• Gift Certificate to the Park's Shop: Take the guess work out of your holiday and give a gift certificate which allows the recipient to choose their own favorite item!

With warmest holiday wishes to you all...

Celebrate the 12 Birds of Christmas at Sylvan Heights!

Now through January 2nd, stop by the park and celebrate the 12 Birds of Christmas! From french hens to calling birds, geese a-laying to swans a-swimming, test your skill by participating in our scavenger hunt and see if you can answer all the questions we've put together for you. A fun activity for young and old, bring your family and friends with you this holiday season!

Check out this video with our director, Mike Lubbock, for more information about the 12 Birds of Christmas...

Snapshots of Moonlight in the Park

Thank you to all who attended our Moonlight in the Park fundraiser. It was a smashing success, raising over 14,000 for the Park. Attendees enjoyed a meal provided by On the Square in Tarboro and live music.

But the highlight of the evening was definitely the live auction - thanks to our wonderful auctioneer, Phil Stanton. Some of the most popular items of the evening included the large globe made of semi-precious stones, a wine and cheese tasting for 12, a pet portrait by portrait artist Dorothy McLennan, and a pair of hand-carved harlequin duck decoys.

Sylvan Heights would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the individuals and companies who donated items for the evening's auction, as well as all those who attended the evening's festivities and who gave so generously.