Panda at Bubali Bird Observation Tower (Original)

Panda loves birds. She loves watching them, but what she really loves is listening to them. So when our taxi driver told us that there was a bird sanctuary and observation tower not far from the butterfly farm, Panda was very excited.

After visiting the butterfly farm, we walked along the road and followed the path to the sanctuary. It was a beautiful place, and Panda was thrilled to hear birds everywhere.

Then she noticed the wind.

There were strong gusts blowing across the observation platform, and Panda suddenly became a little anxious. Being a small stuffed animal, she knew she was particularly susceptible to being blown away—especially if she sat on the rail for a photograph.

Of course, that was exactly where Panda wanted to sit.

It wasn't really that dangerous. The platform was only about one story above the dirt, so if Panda fell, it would hurt a little but she would survive, and we could retrieve her. It wasn't like falling off the boat or into an alligator-infested swamp!

Still, the wind was strong enough to make things interesting.

It took a few tries to get Panda balanced on the rail. I quickly backed up to take the photograph, knowing I didn't have much time before the next gust. I got the shot—and then grabbed Panda just as the wind was about to knock her off.

We made it just in time!

Afterward, we walked back to the butterfly farm and waited about an hour for our taxi. We had plenty of time, although it was always a little nerve-wracking knowing that eventually we had to get back to the boat before it left.

Panda's bird adventure wasn't just captured in a photograph. I also recorded fourteen seconds of the sounds around us.

“The audio was the birds, but there are people talking too.”

Panda got a heart for the photo.

And perhaps that was the perfect response. Panda had gone looking for the birds—and managed to bring a little bit of their song home with her.