Birdsong was constant, from melodious trills in the morning to bright chirps in the afternoon to soft hoots when the sun went down. But nothing compared to the glorious scarlet macaws. Regal and bright in their coloring, intelligent and playful in their behavior, witnessing these magnificent creatures flying free in the remote Central American jungle was like discovering El Dorado, alone in the profundity of what I’d stumbled upon. Claustrophobia, loneliness, anxiety, fear — all of it was momentarily erased by the flapping of their wings.

*My Wild Escape Into the Parrot Protection Program