Where to Go in North Carolina: Sylvan Heights Wildlife Bird Sanctuary in Scotland Neck

Delightful is the one word I would use to describe the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park in Scotland Neck, North Carolina. Although my family and I have only been there twice it has been a wonderful experience both times. I strongly recommend any visitor who happens to be in the eastern area of the state to stop at this gem. I guarantee that you will not regret spending an hour or two there. On all accounts I rate this five stars and only wish I could give it a higher rating.

My father introduced me to this wildlife bird sanctuary in 2007, one year before he died. My friend and I joined him, and my nephew J, for a very educational and enjoyable experience. Dad had discovered it in the way he usually discovered interesting places to visit-through reading about it in the newspaper. He decided it was a ‘must see’, and boy, was he right.

This visit was a bit of bittersweet remembrance of our former trip with dad. This time we went in the fall, the same group minus dad, although he most certainly was with us in spirit. Our admission was a good deal we had gotten from a Groupon coupon-a two for one rate. Comparatively, it is about the cost of a movie ticket and so much more pleasurable.

The staff at the waterfowl park is friendly, knowledgeable, and looking for opportunities to give visitors educational moments. For instance, we no sooner bought our tickets and a $2.00 bag of bird feed, than the ticket agent directed us to an event she suggested we wouldn’t want to miss. Two staff were meeting in the parking lot with a red-tailed hawk and guiding it on a tethered flight. We returned to the parking lot, me with my video camera ready, and were not disappointed. After the bird was ‘exercised’, the young man came up to the small group on the porch and asked if we wanted to see the bird up close. It was a picture perfect moment. Note the first video at the beginning of this article-the Red-Tailed Hawk.

Mike Lubbock, founder of Sylvan Heights, is a native of England. When he arrived in North Carolina it was his goal to continue the ornithology work he had been involved with in England and around the world. The center was established in 1985 but only became a public entity in 2006. In the meantime, Lubbock is world renowned for his work and has received 17 awards for World First Breeding; 15 awards for First Breedings in North America; the Jean Delacour Avicultural Award and has been inducted into International Wildlife Waterfowl Association Hall of Fame.

Hours of Operation:

Closed on Mondays and Holidays

Tues-Sun 9 a.m.- 5:00 in the spring-fall; closes at 4:00 in winter months.

Cost of admission:

Adults-13 and older = $9

Seniors = $7

Age 3-12 = $5

Under 3 = Free

The Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park actually has the largest collection of waterfowl birds in the whole world. Their mission is to educate people on the importance of conservation of wetlands, wildlife and, of course, birds. There are over 2000 varieties of birds from all over the world. Five continents are represented at Sylvan Heights: North and South America, Eurasia, Africa and Australia.

Within the beautiful log cabin building is a conference room for educational meetings; a gift shop; bathrooms and a display of various eggs: ostrich, emu, and owl were a few. The back door leads into the park and the first thing that greets you is a wonderful pond. Large pictured display boards identify each resident that paddles by and a perpetual fountain keeps the water fresh and moving.

No matter which direction you start in it will eventually lead you into a circle so it is impossible to miss anything if you stay on the path. There were three offshoots to the main track, which we followed when we got there. One was a Beaver Pond Blind, another was the Bird Nest Tree House, and the third was the Kiptopeke Walkway; all overlook wetlands. I remember the park in 2007 and it was only half the size it is now. Back then they were only talking of plans for the tree house, but now they are spread over 18 acres of woodland, ponds and gardens.

While one can make arrangements for a tour guide this is usually a self-tour. It can easily be completed in an hour and half, if one wants to walk quickly through the park, or perhaps just go directly to a particular exhibit without stopping to visit the other areas, however, you would not have time to read the exhibit boards or really get the full impact of the park. We took a leisurely afternoon, the guys patiently waiting for me as I jotted notes and took photos, and finished the tour in three hours. The path is wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and, if one is so inclined, golf carts are also available for use.

Along the paths there are benches to pause at, and two picnic areas. While snacks and bottled beverages can be purchased in the gift shop, food from home is allowed and there is even a playground area for the kids to get rid of a bit of energy.

One of the highlights of the walk was getting to meet Scooby-Doo. Scooby-Doo is a baby Sarus Crane who was out on one of his walks with staff. As my nephew and I stopped to film the big baby bird, the staff member assured us that he’d be close enough to almost touch, and he was right. I not only was able to find out more information, but also had a great time filming this long legged bird. J and I discovered that there were three Sarus Cranes born at the park, and they will reach a height of six feet tall. Their wing- span will be over nine feet wide, and in fact, they are the tallest flying bird in the world.