Picture from “Adweek”

I have a dirty little secret. Well. It isn’t dirty; rather it’s a very clean secret.

Now you all know that I’m the thrifty sort. I come from a long line of toothpaste tube squeezers, “Use the Celery Tops in Soup” makers and “You know…you wash those out and you can use them again…” kind of background. Don’t get me wrong. I can be the “girliest” girl at times. I like to smell nice, look pretty and I love shoes. Love shoes! I kind of feel the same way about shoes and boots that Mozart did about wigs:

But in order to have the limited amount of “nice things” I do have, I need to cut corners. And believe you me, I have learned how to do this. One of them is a secret I have been somewhat quiet about for the past two years. It lives in my shower. It flies in the face of “decadence.” And it saves animals. But

I’m gong to tell you now. “Does she or doesn’t she?”

Why yes! Yes. I do. I use Dawn liquid dish soap as a shower scrub and as a shampoo.

I can hear you now:

I don’t know how much Dawn liquid is. All I know is that I can get a pant load of it on sale for about a fifth of what I would pay for “Designer” stuff at the “Shower Store” at the mall. How much is shower liquid? I don’t know. If someone gives me some as a gift, it makes me happy. I love sandalwood. But I’m not about to shell out 12 bucks for a bottle of the stuff so I can smell like it while I’m battling with people about turning off their electronic devices on a 757 to Caracas. I really don’t think it’s worth the investment.

And to be honest? As long as I’m clean, I simply don’t give a damn. Dawn also has its own wonderful properties. First of all, they use it to help clean up wildlife. I like that. And if you think about it, if it can clean up an oily pelican, don’t you think it will clean your “bits and pieces?”

It smells clean, it feels good and it works. Relatively speaking, it’s cheap. It doesn’t dry you out like bar soap does and you step out of the shower feeling good about yourself and about pelicans. Now if it works on an oil-soaked penguin, why wouldn’t it work on you?

I know it sounds weird. But trust me. It works. It smells good and lathers up a storm. You don’t need much so it goes a LONG way.  Makes you feel positively “fluffy.” It does the job. They support a great cause. What’s not to like?

I like the Dawn people because of what they have done. There’s a lot more otters, pelicans and other creatures alive today due to the Dawn people.

So, if you think about it, you’re not only saving money, you’re helping to clean up wildlife we screwed up. Now get out there and buy some Dawn, drag it into your shower, lather up and save some money. Long live suds!

Have you ever read, “Jabberwocky?” If you haven’t, it is something that is difficult to understand, but it really doesn’t need understanding. If you aren’t familiar with it, here is an absolutely incredible rendition done by Johnny Depp:

For my purposes, I intend to concentrate on one line in the poem:

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!”

 I remember having both of Lewis Carroll’s books read to me when I was about four years-old. I sat in my Father’s lap as he read them to me, one chapter a night. Out of all of the content of the books, “Jabberwocky” and “The Walrus and the Carpenter” were my favorite parts. As I got older, they both had new meanings to me as I began to understand them. However, in the last few weeks, the particular line I cited has become significant to me. There is another quote that I think has taken on new meaning to me since last summer: “There but for the grace of God, go I.”

That quote is attributed to John Bradford, an English reformer and martyr, who decided to go up against Mary Tudor and ended up in the Tower of London for his troubles. And yes, you’re damned right I have a point.

I’m a big believer in having an opinion. And if I only associated with people that agreed with me or only knew the things that I knew, it would be a pretty boring existence.

I have seen some pretty troubling stuff during my time in the world of birds. But what troubles me the most are the divisions and the sniping that occur from behind the comfort of a keyboard. In the years I’ve been blogging here, I have seen my share of “The jaws that bite, the claws that catch.” I have seen sadness, joy, hilarity and comforting.

I’ve also seen down right meanness. I don’t like meanness. I don’t care for hurting other people. I’m sure I’m guilty of it as well but I try not to do it. And if I do, usually unintentionally, I feel absolutely terrible. And I mean, sickly terrible. Depression terrible.

The name of this blog is not by accident. When I first entered the world of aviculture, I truly felt as though I were joining something very special. I could feel connections that existed between people, bound together by a common understanding and a mutual interest and love.

I first came into this light, bright airy world that is its surface.

What I had yet to see were the dark alleys. I didn’t know about those dark alleys. Nobody warned me that they were around some corners and if you went there, it was like entering this sad, horrid place where everything was broken and you could feel this terrible, cold breeze of disdain.

Suffice it to say, in my first few forays out into the world of aviculture, I wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms. I was pretty much dismissed as inconsequential. After all, I had only one bird, no ties to any avian organizations such as a rescue or bird club and nobody knew who I was. I went to a weekend event once in those first cold years and the entire time I was there, only one person said a word to me. Just one.

I was just A Pet Owner. Ever see the movie, Mean Girls? So much for my introduction into the charming world of the avian community. It made me feel terrible.

 I twisted and turned and tried to find my place, my spot. I needed to find where I fit in. Well, I found it with a little help from Susan Friedman. She saw my place right off and told me that writing was where I belonged. So here I am.

Photo courtesy of Natural Encounters Inc.

What I didn’t expect to have to do in writing about the field was having to deal with other people’s sadness, anger and negativity as often as I do. I am working on developing a steel-belted gut, but it doesn’t come easy for me. I can’t quite cast off other people’s feelings that quickly. While there is much sadness and regret when you deal with animals at all, you have to realize that a lot of it indeed comes with the territory.

Nature can be a cruel thing. Humans develop feelings for these creatures and when they pass or when we see something that is not right, we get upset. However, there is a lesson to be learned here. And it brings up some questions as well.

One of those questions is one of the very first questions I asked myself when I joined what I call “The Parrot Nation.” And that question was, “Where do I belong?”

Well, where do you belong? Where is your spot on the avicultural map? We all have birds. We all think the way we do things is the way others should do them.

I disagree. If I followed that tenet, I never would have taken any classes, attended any seminars or learned anything new.

Do I have opinions? Of course I do! We all have them. I have a certain belief system about birds that I strongly believe in. But my beliefs and my ways are not the only way.

I have been introduced to new ways of doing things over the years, as well as coming up with an idea or two of my own that other people seem to like. I like what works. I like to see innovative ideas and adopt them for my small Grey flock.

I don’t mind disagreement. I don’t mind looking at things in a different way. I like learning and discovering something that can be done better. Quicker. Easier. More efficiently.

What I do mind is sniping. I mind it when people are mean. I also mind when people go after each other with virtual socks full of manure.

There is also something else that I think needs to be examined here: Intent. While intention to do good things is wonderful, sometimes it simply isn’t enough.

When two teenagers who haven’t graduated from high school declare their undying love for each other and decide to get married, thinking that is what will sustain them, I just shake my head. The intention is there, but that sure as hell isn’t going to put food on the table and a roof over their head.

Eventually they discover that it isn’t working because you can’t put love in the fridge. It won’t cover your back in the winter. We can be the most well-meaning people in the world, but without skills, without an income, without a way to back that intent up, we’re lost.

We all just can’t “love our birds.” We have to have a way to support them. We have to have a place to keep them. And we have to somehow build a system that allows us to not only take care of and feed our flocks, we have to have a back up system in place, should life take us away from them on occasion.

I love it when people have a fierce love for their flocks. I don’t love it when they think that they can interpret this as meaning they can put other people down.

When I titled this blog, Parrot Nation, I meant it. I want to be clear here: unless we figure out a way to become a united front, we’re screwed. The Tea Party may be ridiculed, skewered and made fun of, but those people are together in their ideas.

They want what they want and they are a united front. Can’t say I want them over for dinner, but they sure are faithful to their ideas and they sure as hell stick together.

Let’s try and drop this Us Against the Rest of Them mentality. It’s not about that. It’s not about being better than someone else.

 It’s about all of us. And the practice of learning to be a bit more understanding of each other with an openness and tolerance needs to be adopted. We’ve got problems all over the place.

But we sure as hell aren’t going to fix them by trying to prove to each other that the only way to get things done is the way one group or person does it. Helping and supporting each other should be key. And learning to ask for help or taking help when it’s offered is just as important.

We are a community. We are the The Parrot Nation. And until we all get on the same page and learn to help each other, instead of constantly ripping each other up; well, then we’re all just a bunch of Jabberwocks.

While there has been a great deal of interest in the Wings Over the Rainbow seizure, with it came the usual storm of controversy, differences of opinion and points of view.  I have seen this before when I posted the story of the Troy, Ohio birds seized last summer.

While the Troy case was clearly a hideous case of neglect, this one is still fuzzy around the edges. The photos obviously don’t tell the entire story as two people can always look at the same thing and view it differently.

One thing that is clear to me is that WOTR is a rescue and they came out of the gate with the intention of doing good for birds. I commend them for their intention. But while I wasn’t there and the facts are still fuzzy, it bothers me that it went so far that a seizure was even considered.

 Parker with his “Ty-Stick” Toy

It’s still early in the court proceedings and the birds are still being evaluated and treated. I do know that no birds as of yet have been euthanized because that was part of the model they went in with. Whether this policy stays in place is still in question. From my understanding some of the birds were in pretty tough shape. And it was explained to me that WOTR took in the hard cases so many of these birds came to them already in rough shape. So I’m sure they will have to take it as it comes and do what is best for each individual bird.

As far as the wide range of opinions people are rendering, I believe the reason for the discussion and the differences of opinion comes down to one thing: People give a damn.

If they didn’t, they wouldn’t feel so strongly about voicing their opinion. With well over one hundred comments, my post Twisted Heart from last week is peppered with opinions about how things were handled and whether the seizure should have happened in the first place.

There has been conjecture that perhaps some of the photos were staged to make things appear worse than they are. I have been told that apparently this has happened before in other cases. I highly doubt this happened in this case but that possibility was thrown out there. However, I just don’t think the conditions were staged in the Moraine, Ohio seizure:

Let me once again reiterate that I was not there. I would have liked to have been there to help out in any way I could, but that’s all water over the dam at this point. However, it does bring up a point of interest and a subject worthy of discussion.

I have information from excellent sources that this particular seizure had been planned for months. The Humane Society of Greater Dayton wanted to do things correctly and not having had much experience with birds, they consulted several seasoned and well-respected avian professionals and Avian Veterinarians before executing the seizure. Unlike the Troy case which turned into a legal nightmare, this case is very different. The humane officer in charge, Sheila Marquis had competent people advising her long before her agency went in. She had an air conditioned van lined up and cages donated. She had experienced volunteers, food, perches, toys and equipment. They were well-prepared.

Foraging Toy

Which brings up a fair question: Who is considered competent to handle this situation? What constitutes a professional in this field? What qualifications must you have in order to be considered a knowledable individual in the field of aviculture? And what kind of background must you have in order to be considered competent to help out in a situation like the WOTR situation? Hmm….

Let me qualify this question by using myself as an example. I’m a very competent parrot caregiver in that I have a flock of three healthy, happy African Greys. I have worked in various areas of aviculture for a time by experiencing the work of a keeper in a zoo, and working at Best Friends Animal Society. I have helped out in the retail business assisting in opening a retail bird supply store. I’ve seen bird food being manufactured and packaged.

I have also seen first hand what the home of a “breeder-hoarder” looks like. (This is my opinion. It was years ago when I was first getting into the field. I saw what I saw and while I didn’t like it, at the time I didn’t know any better and wouldn’t have known what to do.)  I roughly know how a “Foster Model” Adoption and Rescue non-profit works as well as a brick and motor model. I’ve also seen a sanctuary.

A Pensive Parker

I’ve seen good bird retail shops, great retail bird shops, and some places that looked like crack houses. I don’t know anything about breeding.  I am not a Vet Tech. But I know how to handle birds gently and sensitively. I know how to take direction and I know the difference between a healthy bird and one that is very sick.

I also know how to set up a cage, clean a cage, scrub perches and wash bowls. In a situation like this, it would seem that while you need people who know what they are doing actually running the rodeo, you don’t need “Avian Experts” to clean and replace the papers of the cages containing over a hundred birds on a daily basis. You don’t need Avian Vets washing bowls and scrubbing perches. Even I can do that.

So questioning the “competency” of people helping out seems a little petty to me.

 I had questions about how one goes about planning an operation like this or even if there was a guide to setting up a rescue. Turns out that there is.

I discovered that there is a book written on the very subject of how to cope with this situation. It’s a handbook available at the Avian Welfare Coalition called, Captive Exotic Bird Care: A Guide For Shelters. It came highly recommended to me and I intend to order it.

I do not know all of the people “on the ground” helping out at WOTR. But I do know two. I know Rick Van Tuyl. Formerly of Best Friends Animal Society, I have personally seen Rick’s own flock and know him to be totally competent and experienced to be working with the WOTR birds. He is sensible, and very tuned in to the needs of birds as well as having decades of experience. He is currently on the ground now with the birds and is lending his expertise to the Humane Society of Greater Dayton.

Hanging with Jing, one of Rick Van Tuyl’s African Greys.

I also know Dr. Susan Orosz, one of two Avian Vets who volunteered to come in and help with the triage. She’s an Avian Vet with years under her belt and as far as I’m concerned, that’s enough for me.

That’s Dr. O on the far right. Photo courtesy of Lisa Bono of the Platinum Parrot

I also am aware of two who were the consultants in setting up for this particular operation. Both have decades of experience, both are still active in the field and both are highly respected. I am personally more than satisfied that the people on the ground are knowledgeable, sensible and sensitive individuals who are not just competent, they are highly skilled.

Along with Dr. O and Rick, Dr. Julie Burge was working with Dr. O doing triage. Long before this particular operation, Dr. Burge was involved with helping animals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  So with this sort of expertise that I’m familiar with, not taking into consideration who else is there, I’m comfortable that this situation is in good hands.

There will forever be discussion and debate as to the necessity of the seizure. But at this time, that point is moot. The birds have been taken and are under the care of people considered competent by the local authorities.

What happens next is no longer up to anyone but the court system. In the meantime, perhaps we should all concentrate on helping the people who are helping the birds. If those of you who have set up ways to help, to donate or to assist in other ways could post links to those organizations in the comments section, it would be very much appreciated.

King O at Best Friends

In view of the recent seizure of the birds at Wings Over the Rainbow, it got me pondering their dire situation, how-heart breaking and frustrating it must be to be in a position where you cannot afford to move out of a building that is not supporting your needs and desperate for help and support.

My last post about the situation generated comments, opinions and discussion. It not only got me thinking, it got a lot of other people looking at the situation. It seems to me that they could have used a lot more help than they were getting. But overall, I think a lack of planning was the issue at hand at WOTR.

How much help do you really need for how many birds? I mean, is there an ideal number in an ideal world?

Naturally, I equate this question with the airline industry. There is an FAA ruling that states that for every fifty seats on an airplane, you must have one  Flight Attendant on the aircraft qualified and trained on that equipment. If you don’t have that crew count for that number of seats, you can’t even board the plane with passengers. One Flight Attendant per 50 seats. Period. In many cases there will be more than minimum crew. This is due to the work load, the service involved and the length of the trip.

So this got me thinking: What if we could figure out a proper ratio for the number of people needed to support the care of a certain number of birds? Naturally, there are a ton variables and I can point out a few right off the bat. Flights are far easier to take care of than cages. There is room for more birds and if you have drainage and a hose, it’s a snap. Cages take longer, obviously. And smaller birds are easier than large ones for the most part.

Clean cage ready to rock at BF

I had a number in my head as to what I thought the ideal Caregiver/ Bird ratio would be in a rescue or institutional setting. In my guest zoo keeping experience, volunteering, interviewing, research  and digging around, I came up with a ratio.

I think 25 birds to one caregiver is the ideal number.  Notice I said, ideal. This is in a perfect world with a proper budget, space, equipment and time. I wasn’t sure this was the proper number. Was it too many birds per caregiver? Could one caregiver look after more given the proper environment? So I called Jacque Johnson, the Manager of the Parrot Garden at Best Friends and asked her what she thought of my number. According to Jacque, my guess was dead on because that is the BF ratio for their labor budget.

Marlene at BF

At Best Friends Animal Society, there is a Cockatiel flight with about 30 cockatiels in it. This population changes with the demand for the space and the rate of intake and adoption of course, but it that number is pretty consistent throughout the year. This is a video that will give you an idea of what the cockatiel aviary looks like:

 The cockatiel flight is not a tough area of the Parrot Garden to take care of. The substrate is now pea gravel two and a half feet deep. This just needs some hosing and shifting, a little time for drainage and surface drying, cleaning the perches and feeding stations and you’re good to go. Aside from being a beautiful environment for the birds, Best Friends Parrot Garden is set up from the giddyup for efficiency, cleanliness and speed. Yes, it’s a great space for the birds, but it has to work for the people as well. Best Friends has a budget that they have to stick to.

BF Fort: Great enrichment!

 Inside, the Parrot Garden has 30 cages containing 36 birds. They allot four man hours to clean, feed and change bowls for this inside area. And another thing to keep in mind: While Best Friends does indeed welcome volunteers, they base their intake of birds on their ability to care for their flock without any volunteers. When they get volunteers, this affords them time to create foraging toys, work with the birds and work on special projects. But their projection of their labor cost and time to care for their birds is based on the staff to operate without any outside help whatsoever. I think this is logical and very smart planning. They need to be able to provide their birds with care in the event no volunteers are scheduled for the day.

It’s happened again. Another seizure, another rescue in trouble. It’s easy for all of us to point fingers and make judgements. It’s wonderful to sit back with our two or three birds or whatever sized flock we can comfortably handle, proclaiming our disgust and feeling fear for the latest flock that was hauled away in beige boxes.

We somehow feel better that our houses are cleaner, our cages are relatively immaculate. We make snap judgements as to the intentions of the people who I truly think meant well. But then, somewhere along the line, something went wrong. Well, what happened? What went wrong? How did things get out of control? I don’t know. And you probably don’t know either.

The latest seizure was at Wings Over the Rainbow, (WOTR) a bird rescue located in Moraine, Ohio. Moraine is right outside of Dayton.  Ohio again. Once again I don’t have the entire story. Once again, I’ll probably never really know how things went down and how it all fell apart. Here is the story according to the Humane Society:

More than 100 Birds Rescued from Alleged Cruelty and Neglect in Ohio

There is a followup story claiming that WOTR is going to fight to get the birds back.

Bird Rescue Vows to Battle Back

Okay, that’s what is being reported. But what happened? How did it come down to this? In cases like this, we never really know. It’s like this dirty little secret that gets hauled out into the light of day for a brief moment so that reporters and newscasters can get their shots. The birds are shuttled off and that’s usually the last of the story unless there’s a fight in the courts or cruelty charges are made. What I want to know is, where did all of this begin?

Not quite a year ago, I wrote a post about the Troy, Ohio Birds, a hideous case of neglect that hit the papers and the internet like a feathered tsunami. The case got convoluted and to this day, I have absolutely no idea whatever happened in the end. I get different stories and different opinions, but I never did find out out what happened at the end of the pageant. I don’t know what happened to the Miami Valley Bird Club, their rescue efforts or the disposition of the case.

I did a little digging around and with a little help from some highly respected people in the field, I got some answers as to what this hoarding and neglect deal is all about.

 It’s sometimes called Institutional Hoarding. Someone decides they want to run a rescue. They do the proper things, (or not) getting registered with a 501(c)3 non-profit status, (or not) slap up a website, (or not) and they’re in business. Good intentions. Well meaning. They want to save the animals.

Jezebelle Francesca, my friend Sandy’s adopted dog

Now if you think about it, the people who get into this have probably seen their share of neglect and abuse already or they wouldn’t be getting into the field. This of course gives them a bad opinion of human beings in general. After seeing some of the situations dogs, cats and birds are put in, one can’t help but have a low opinion of some people.

However, in order to run an adoption and rescue, you have to put this aside and trust that there are people out there who can provide a good home. I mean, isn’t that the entire point of the adoption and rescue? To place animals in suitable homes? This is where it gets crappy. Some rescues have standards that are simply too high and they have too many conditions potential families have to meet in order to qualify.

It’s as if the rescue is trying to find reasons not to place their charges. They simply make it too difficult to adopt. And of course this defeats the entire purpose. A family wants a cat or dog or bird and they have to endure the Spanish Inquisition in order to adopt. Many people will end up “failing” the third degree they are put through.

So what does the family do? They buy from a breeder or a pet store. Don’t read me wrong. I’m big on screening and applications and qualifying. But good God, this is an animal that needs a home. Set aside the attachment and let the animal have a home for Christ’s sake! I know it’s hard, but that’s the job.

Jacque Johnson, the Manager of the Parrot Garden at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah has this to say about Institutional Hoarding:

Jacque Johnson of Best Friends Photo courtesy of Jacque Johnson

“People in animal rescue have hoarding tendencies. We have caregiving personalities and if we get in too deep, it is easy to let the heart overwhelm our heads and resources. Slowly, over time, we make consessions to husbandry, diet, and medical care that would never have been even considered previously. We “normalize” sub-standard care. Good rescues battle this tendency in themselves constantly. We are aware that we have limits and set them well in advance. We become adept at saying “no” even when our hearts want to say “yes.” And most of all, we battle the self-serving concept that no one else is able to care for our birds. Hoarders put up hoops for adopters to jump through that make it impossible for them to meet the expectations. We don’t want to send our kids into substandard situations, but we must never forget that a family is always better than a rescue. We are an orphanage…and we need to want to get our kids adopted.”

Charlie on the left with King O. Photo courtesy of Best Friends Parrot Garden

So the issue is that the very people who want to help, see the neglect, see the abuse and get gun-shy about placing these animals because they’re afraid it will happen again. I know of one Cockatoo that Best Friends had in residence while I was out there. The sweetest, cutest little girl. But she was a self-mutilator and had to wear a bib to keep from drilling into her own chest. Well, despite everyone’s personal feelings about Charlee and their attachment to her, she got a home. Charlee was adopted out because as Jacque says, “A family is always better than a rescue.” Everyone loved her but they set their personal feelings aside and Charlee went home. Now that’s how you run a rescue.

Apparently, in a hoarding situation, over time, standards are relaxed. A little bit, day-by-day, things get a little worse, a little messier. More animals are brought in, with no animals going out. It sneaks up on the person or institution. It doesn’t happen overnight. Things go from bad to worse, and the caregiver or team running the rodeo become completely overwhelmed and rundown. According to the  National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse (NCPAA) the type of hoarder is broken down into three categories: The Exploiter, The Rescue Hoarder and the Overwhelmed Caregiver. But what exactly is a hoarder? How do you define it? According to the NCPAA, it’s this:

“Someone who accumulates a large number of animals: Fails to provide minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation and veterinary care And fails to act on the deteriorating condition of the animals (including disease, starvation and even death) or the environment, (severe overcrowding, extremely unsanitary conditions) or the negative effect of the collection on their own heath and well-being and on that of other household members.”

 -Dr. Gary Patronek in Public Health Reports (114), 1999     

 

From: Parker

To: Patricia Sund

Sent: Saturday, May 5, 2012 7:44 AM

Subject: email from Parker

Yo! Mama!

“The Plane! The Plane” -Parker

From: Patricia Sund

To: Parker

Sent: Saturday, May 5, 2012 7:44 AM

 Subject: Re: email from Parker

And I know you meant that in the most respectful way.

I got a wonderful surprise when I arrived home from Caracas on Wednesday. Michael Ostrogorsky of the Northwest Parrots Fund sent me a “Bucket O’ Feathers” as well as a tidy little bag of additional  unclipped wing feathers. Gorgeous!

Some of you unfamiliar with one of my harebrained fund raising  schemes might wonder what in God’s name I would want with parrot feathers. Well, I make stuff with them, auction them off and the money goes to help various rescues around the country. This is one item I made:

Here’s another:

Michael and the Northwest Parrots Fund sent me some feathers to make a few items. I wasn’t real familiar with the Northwest Parrot Fund, but it you think about it, it is on the other side of the country from me, so it isn’t exactly in my neck of the woods.  Located in the Seattle, Washington area,  it is run by Michael Ostrogorsky and the NPF Board of Directors.  Now here is something they do that is really cool and a wonderful idea. They run an online store called “The Parrot Cafe” where they sell all kinds of really great stuff. They have books, coffee, tea, clothing and other assorted “Parrotphernailia.”

Naturally I had to rummage around in the online store to see what kind of stuff they had. And I saw this which totally blew me away!

Get your quill pen by clicking on the photo…

Yes, it’s a quill pen made from a Hyacinth Macaw tail feather. And it comes with a pot of royal blue ink! Now for those of you that are nuts about Hyacinths, this is definitely something you have to have. It has a pen nib securely glued to the shaft of the feather and with a pen like this, you’re all set to write something fabulous and look great doing it.

 Now that is what I call writing in high style! I’m sorry, but this sucker is seriously cool and simply captured my imagination. It’s definitely something you won’t find at Office Max.

They also make smudge feathers, and sell all kinds of cool and wonderful parrot related items. As my friend Shari says, “Now here’s the thing.” All of the stuff at the Parrot Cafe is incredibly tastefully done and beautifully presented. I like stuff that’s well made and looks good. You can find that kind of thing at the Parrot Cafe.

They have some antique and collectible items for sale as well. Their T-shirts and baseball caps are really very cool. As you know, I like a good baseball cap. I live in Florida and the sun can be an absolute killer on the complexion. The cap keeps the sun out of my eyes and off my face so I won’t end up looking like a catcher’s mitt in the future. This cap is not only versatile, it’s really unusual and good looking. I love the logo!

Want the hat? Click on it for the link!

Durable and in great taste, (meaning it isn’t pink…) it’s “cross-collectible.” It’s a baseball cap that has a parrot on it, and it identifies a destination. I love this cap.

Reading up about the Northwest Parrots Fund, (NPF) I just loved what I saw. First and foremost they try to help people keep their birds. They provide training resources and education for people who are simply flummoxed about what to do when they end up in a not-so-nice situation with their bird. Happens all the time and usually some training and a little guidance can do the trick.

If this is simply not possible, they have a foster network set up and also provide veterinary care for their fosters. They also work with local animal shelters and food banks to establish and support pet bird food banks. I don’t know of many pet bird food banks and this is a standout effort in my view. In this economy, people sometimes simply can’t afford to feed themselves properly, let alone their flock, so this is probably a lifesaver and keeps those flocks in their homes until things turn around for their families.

From what I saw on their website, I simply love their approach to placing their charges. It’s a “no-nonsense” way of doing things and the procedures they have in place simply make sense. They are a certified and registered 501 (c) 3 non-profit and they are looking to grow. I think they’re gong to manage this just fine. I love, love, LOVE their Mission Statement and their way of doing things. They even have a You Tube channel. Here is some video of a couple of their birds messing around:

While I wasn’t real familiar with their work before, I certainly am now! Give the Parrot Cafe a look. It is seriously a wonderful online store and the items you purchase supports the Northwest Parrots Fund.

Click on their neon sign to enter their store:

From: Parker

To: Patricia Sund

Sent: Monday, April 30, 2012 7:44 AM

Subject: email from Parker

Can you keep a secret?

I want a “Man Cave!” -Parker

From: Patricia Sund

To: Parker

Sent: Monday, April 30, 2012 7:44 AM

 Subject: Re: email from Parker

Depends on what it is.