When you look at the Discovery Park campus here in Denton, you think of all of the possible innovative research and cutting edge technological discoveries that could be taking place on the inside. The building is massive, and was formerly a factory for missile production, which is evident from its design. But aside from the engineering/scientific setting that the campus provides, it is a surprisingly ideal niche for an abundance of nature.
The area surrounding the campus is a wide open flat plain with cow pastures and a few apartments sprinkled throughout. This terrain makes for some rather high wind velocities, which leads me to believe that the campus will have a wind turbine in the near future. These high winds also tend to attract birds to the building; specifically a family of vultures; Black Vultures. It seems that everyday the vultures can be seen gliding on the strong wind gusts surrounding the building, scanning the ground below for dead mice or whatever else seems edible. Vultures aren’t picky eaters I hear.
The Black Vultures are common throughout Texas and the lower Americas, but seeing them take such a liking to the Disco Park building has been a lesson on the unpredictability of nature. Last year the mother vulture laid two eggs, which successfully hatched. The interesting part is that the vultures’ choice for the location of their nest is right next to the window at one of the entrances to the building.
The location of the nest has allowed for a front seat to observe the growth of the vultures from eggs, to chicks, and finally fledglings. The fledgling stage is when the birds begin to fly. The mother vulture laid two more successful eggs this spring, and again the nest is in the same place, right next to the entrance window.
So what began as a missile factory has slowly evolved into an institute of higher learning, and a small zoo. One can only speculate as to what new surprises the future holds for Discovery Park.
