Sodus 7th grader puts flamingos first

One 7th grader from Sodus Middle School already knows what he wants to do when he grows up. He is even already working in the field.

For his science fair project last year, Daniel Miller became involved with the flamingo flock at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse. This year, he decided to continue his studies.

On December 29, Miller placed life-sized flamingo models, painted different colors, in the zoo's main pond. He will be video-recording the reactions of the flamingo flock to the change in their environment and their mis-colored cousins. He is also placing fake eggs in nests to see if the flamingos follow their instincts and sit on the nests with eggs.

This 12-year-old would rather watch flamingos than play video games. 'In fact,' says his mother Corinne, 'Daniel has loved flamingos since he was two. Daniel plans on working with flamingos, or birds, when he grows up and he already plans to participate in the zoo's job shadowing program in the spring.'

His father, Art, says, 'We have been making the 45-minute drive at least once a week for the past few months.' According to his father, Daniel's first trip to the zoo in Syracuse was when he was in a stroller. Daniel's fascination with flamingos runs parallel to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo's mission of educating and creating a love for nature and animals in young children.

By grabbing children's attention early in life, they can learn to care more about the world around them.

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo has 11 Chilean flamingos, six female and five male, which reside in the main pond year-round. Chilean flamingos are not tropical and can be found in cold regions of the world. Flamingos have pink feathers due to the carotenoids found in the foods that they eat.

This was the subject of Miller's science project last year as he experimented to see if duck colorings would change if fed foods with carotenoids. The Rosamond Gifford Zoo flamingo colony can be seen communicating with both sounds and movements as they display through wing-salutes, head-flagging and exaggerated preening.

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park is an accredited member of the American Zoo & Aquarium Association and is focused on conserving, exhibiting and interpreting a living animal collection in order to promote public recreation, understanding of the relationships between animals and people, and action to sustain the environment we share.

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is open daily from 10 to 4:30. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors age 62 and up and students age 16 to 21 with I.D., $3.50 for youth ages 3-15, and children under 3 are free.

Call the Zoo at 315.435.8511 or visit www.RosamondGiffordZoo.org

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