Ask me to hold a bird and I’ll probably say no — having owned and worked with them in the past, I’ve had a few bites that make me more than a little nervous to do that again. But ask me to take some photos of them and I am there! And what better place to practice bird photography than at the Bloedel Conservatory?

Bloedel Conservatory is the perfect tropical getaway right within the city limits. The minute you enter, you’re transported to a lush, tropical rainforest environment like no other in Vancouver. I think I could probably spend all day in this paradise.

The birds are by no means shy, and I had no problem grabbing multiple photos of even the smallest, flightiest finches they had. There was one elusive bird and unfortunately, I did not catch the name of the species. Whatever it was, it scuttled around the grounds, always managing to evade my camera at every chance. Thinking back, I wonder if the birds knew what they were doing, and were making a game of it at my expense.

Check out Bloedel’s Instagram, and be sure to give their post featuring my photo some love!