Photo courtesy of Foster Parrots Ltd.

Marc Johnson heads up Foster Parrots, an adoption, education, sanctuary and rescue organization located in Rockland, Massachusetts. I’ve known about Foster Parrots for years, but I didn’t meet Marc until about two years ago. Marc and Foster Parrots were featured in a PBS show, “Scientific Frontiers” with Alan Alda in 2002. You can see that clip from “Pet Tech,” here:

Since then, he has been extremely generous in rendering opinions, supplying me with quotes for articles and occasionally commenting here at the blog.

One of the birds at Foster Parrots- Photo courtesy of Foster Parrots Ltd.

In the past, I have done an interview of a sort with people in the industry in a format that is a diversion from your usual direct question format. Rather than ask people a direct question, I simply ask them to “finish the sentence.” I send them the first few words of a statement and it’s up to the individual to finish it anyway they like.

This gives the interviewee great leeway as to what they want to say. Here is Irena Schulz’s “Finish the Sentence Interview.”

A “Dynamic Duo” at Foster Parrots- Photo courtesy of Foster Parrots Ltd.

It looks easy, but it’s not. Jacqueline Johnson who heads up the Best Friends Parrot Garden wrote to me after finishing her “Finish the Sentence” interview, “That was not easy to do. It’s much harder than you would think it would be!” Here is Jacque Johnson’s Interview.

So suffice it to say, I’m always pleased when these come back as well written as they are because it’s not a walk in the park. Anyway, here is Marc’s version of “Finish the Sentence:”

********************************

1.) I never thought… I would find a cause that would not allow me to turn away or just let someone else handle.

Pearl, a Foster Parrots Amazon- Photo courtesy of Foster Parrots Ltd.

2.) Most days at work… I wish I could do more for the parrots in our care and I guess I will not ever be truly happy although I am proud of what we have done at Foster Parrots.

3.) My best ideas… involve a tropical island. Seriously, (and not wishing to sound too big headed about this one) I think we have been so far ahead of the “curve” on many issues concerning parrots that my best ideas were not taken seriously.

4.) What I’d like to see… seems to be happening a little at a time, much more slowly than I would have liked but I do see a general acceptance of things like NOT selling unweaned baby parrots, strict adoption rules and a general public that understands the complexity and intelligence issues that make keeping parrots difficult at best, perhaps cruel at worst

5.) The most interesting… thing I have done is the Guyana project. Once a year I get to go to the rainforests of Guyana and although it has been a difficult road (one that I could never have imagined) it has been the fulfillment of every child’s dream….

Photo courtesy of Foster Parrots Ltd.

6.) If I had the opportunity to be on David Letterman… I would present the top ten reasons NOT to have a parrot as a pet… #10. You should get a parrot if you enjoy having surgery performed on your face at home…(me… three times!)

7.) When I meet… really smart people I know you don’t have to be a doctor to understand what really matters on this earth.

8.) It’s all about… not having any regrets… I have a few… but then again, too few to mention?

Henry and Oliver : Photo courtesy of Foster Parrots Ltd.

9.) Sometimes your gut tells you… really stupid things. I have learned to analyze the hell out of everything I do….

10.) I’ve never regretted… the course the last 20 years has taken me on but I am getting old and tired now.

You can support Foster Parrots by simply ordering a T-shirt here. Click on the image to order:

This is my friend Shari. Shari is an extraordinary individual in the field of birds. She has a plethora of Greys, (I guess a plethora in this case would be seven.) that she takes exquisite care of and is truly a “Grey Person.” She has taught me more about Greys and birds in general from her vast experience in the field and in her own research work than I even can explain.

She thinks nothing of curling up with a copy of Forshaw’s, Parrots of the World for an evening of “light reading” and can research like nobody’s business because she knows where to look.

Shari has tried several times over the years to get into something other than birds and animals. But she always finds herself returning to the field. For one thing, she’s damned good at it. She knows a ton about companion parrots, she is a Vet Tech for Dr. Sam Backos and she is a whiz with a nail file and scissors: She is a also a top notch groomer. She is very laid back and relaxed and doesn’t mind a few of my bonehead questions here and there.

Shari and Parker

Shari explains: “I’ve tried to find something else, but I always found myself coming back to the Bird Business. About two years ago I had like an epiphany and I realized, you know what, I guess this is what I do. This is it. It’s who I am. I don’t know why. You know, I was looking at my dog, and I consider myself a dog person. And I was thinking, how come I don’t want to rescue dogs with crooked necks? It is bizarre; my Father thinks I’m an absolute nut.”

As it is with a lot of people who live with them, Shari can’t explain the relationship she has with her birds. She feels that it is a distinctive relationship that goes beyond the sort you have with a dog, and most people can’t comprehend it until they begin living with one.

Shari is of the opinion that some people who have birds still didn’t quite understand what their birds are capable of. But if you understood the abilities of companion parrots and take the time to train them and teach them, it opens up a whole new relationship. I agreed with her on this as one of the things that I came to understand in my training classes with Susan Friedman and Steve Martin is that training is a form of communication, a language of its own.

“You are a teacher, and it means that you are in this growing relationship with something. Take dogs for instance; We’ve sort of “dumbed them down” so that they can mold better with us. But parrots are always learning, so you have to have a different sort of respect for them.”

Shari believes that the innate wildness of parrots tends to lend itself to their intelligence in that they haven’t had years of breeding for abilities other than survival.

“I agree that parrots are, at best third generation away from the wild.  They are so sensitive, so intuitive and so intelligent, that they deserve all the respect that we can give them. A long time ago people wanted to decide what made humans different than animals: tool use. But animals use tools; Jane Goodall blew that out of the water. But we also know that they have complex societies, they remember things, they learn about strategy. And now there’s this thing about being self-aware. Do I know I exist? So now sentience is now the criteria for what makes us different from the animal world.”

Shari Mirojnick always had an interest in animals and reads books on birds in the wild as well as books on companion birds. And like many in the business of birds, she worries over many things including the impending extinction crisis looming on the horizon for many of the parrot species.

Sheri recognizes the need for breeders, yet she is frustrated by the necessity of it in view of the growing number of birds that are in parrot rescues without permanent homes.

“Everybody wants a baby, and if people didn’t buy babies, breeders would be out of business.”

Shari has been in and out of the bird business for years, but she has had birds for over 25 years, a huge amount of time compared to my paltry 8 years or so and her experience and confidence shows in the way she handles any bird.

As it is with a lot of people who live with them, Shari can’t explain the relationship she has with her birds. She feels that it is a distinctive relationship that goes beyond the sort you have with a dog, and most people can’t comprehend it until they begin living with one.

Shari Mirojnick is one of the people I’ve always gone to when I need a fact checked, a clarification on an issue or simply need some information I can’t find. Her knowledge is almost encyclopedic and her love for the field is evident.

When she was at UCLA she studied Musicology, which is, as one of her Professors put it, ‘the scholarly study of Western Art Music’.

Shari once said to me, “I used to lean over to one of my friends in class and say, ‘I am going to be so boring at parties.’ And you know what, now I really am. My Mother sometimes says, ’Okay, okay enough about birds.’”

Boring? Ummm, no. This is Shari with her band she had a few years ago. They were called, “The Maneaters.”

Shari may be many things: experienced, fearless when rehabbing a relinquishment, student of aviculture, a certified teacher and experienced avian vet tech. But boring? Not a chance!

Do you remember that for the last two years I worked at the Cincinnati Zoo as a “Guest Keeper?”

Well, that was all well and good and I had a blast, (I also worked my keester off…) but I have that chapter of my book written and it’s time to move on to the next one. I miss the Zoo something awful, but I have other things I have to do, other places I have to go and other adventures I have to experience. I don’t know if you recall, but the reason I began this blog and call it “Parrot Nation” is because I am currently, (and perpetually it seems,) working on completing a manuscript by the same name. This is harder than it looks. While I enjoy writing, I also enjoy eating and keeping a roof over my head which, in my case, involves putting on a uniform more often than not, getting on an airplane and flying around making sure that our flights are safe, people are happy and my company makes a profit for our shareholders.

Me With Miss Vicki, the "Texas Twister"

And I’m happy to do that. Really. I mean it. But that takes up a lot of time. And so does writing for “BIRD TALK” Magazine. We won’t even go into the time it takes to keep up with three rambunctious African Greys, one of which is Parker. And if you’ve read my column, you know how he is.

See? Not all of my readers at BT are Birds. Perhaps Gabby thinks the magazine is a menu...

And of course there’s Mattie, who is little or no bother at all, but she does need some care and attention.

Mattie, the "Wonder Doorstop"

So it’s no wonder that this flippin’ book is taking me longer than the Vietnam War. But it’s coming along. The problem is always time. Oh, and the travel. Oh and the money. And did I mention the travel? Did I mention that when you spend close to a hundred hours a month on an airplane, the last thing you want to do on your time off is get on an airplane?

Perhaps now you can understand why I really don’t like moving around very much when I’m not flying. But fly I must and I have to climb onto a few airplanes to complete this manuscript. Which brings me to my next trip: Best Friends Animal Society.

According to their website, “Best Friends Animal Society is guided by a simple philosophy: kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us. In the late 1980s, when Best Friends was in its early days, roughly 17 million dogs and cats were being killed in shelters every year. Despite the commitment of shelter workers to the animal in their care, the conventional belief was that little could be done to lower that terrible number.”

Best Friends was also featured on the Nat Geo Channel in a series called “Dogtown” which ran for four seasons and had enormous popularity. This in turn boosted the notoriety of “Best Friends,” and they still have the title, (as far as I know) as the largest, non-profit, no-kill sanctuary in the world. And of course there was that little matter of the Michael Vick dogs. They performed miracles there.

Good stuff as far as I”m concerned. Most people are aware that they have dogs and cats. But did you know that they have a large variety of animals? Yup. Besides dogs and cats, they also have rabbits, horses, ducks, sheep, raptors and pigs. Yes, pigs. They also have, umm, wait a second, it slipped my mind…wait a second…

Oh yeah! Parrots! BF has parrots. A lot of parrots. A plethora of parrots that all need homes. Here is one of my favorite photos of all time. It’s Rick Van Tuyl, who works at the BF “Parrot Garden” with a few of his buddies:

Photo courtesy Rick Van Tuyl

Well! Now you might ask what my interest is in BF. BF is big. Real big. And they are an “in place” shelter. Unlike many fabulous adoption and rescues which foster out their charges, BF is a brick and mortar rescue and they have a way of doing things that I think I would be remiss in not including in my book. And to be honest with you, lots of people are interested in the place. Which obviously isn’t going to hurt people’s interest in the manuscript. But most of all, I want to raise the public’s awareness of areas at the Sanctuary that isn’t about cats and dogs. I had an email conversation with Parrot Garden Manager, Steve Scheurich a while back about coming out to work and writing it up here. He thought it was a marvelous idea and began putting things into motion for that to happen. When I was able to nail down the dates and get ready to work on the particulars, things just fell into place.

For the last week, I have been gathering, packing, checking lists, filling out forms, making phone calls, writing emails, arranging for rides to and from airports,  getting computer stuff done and generally running around like a fool. But it’s been fun.

It’s my vacation. And as usual, I’ll be spending it working. But I have found over the past years that:

1. Change of work is rest.

2. If you can do something really cool that adds to and improves the world, you can head home knowing that you contributed  to an effort where you actually made a difference, as opposed to simply consuming. This is profound. And I guarantee that you will talk about it for the rest of your life.

3. Going on vacation at a place like Best Friends will not only change your life, it will have a profound effect on what they are trying to accomplish. You will be helping in a way that only one person can: One moment at a time.

I used to do “lie down vacations.” The sort where you go somewhere and do nothing. I loved it. But once  I came back I didn’t really feel as though I had accomplished anything. I was the same person. I felt empty. But when I first went to the Cincinnati Zoo and spent three weeks working my tail off,  I came home a different person. I had changed for the better. And that made all the difference. Because as small as my little contribution to them was, it wasn’t about the free labor they received. It was about the difference it made in me. Did it make a difference to them? I like to think so. I mean, after all, they invited me back. Perhaps in my small way, I somehow made a scratch on the surface of this huge world. I made a difference. I helped make things better.

Not everyone gets to the some of the extraordinary things I have been privileged to do. But Best Friends? They welcome everyone who has a love of animals. You may not think taking a dog for a walk to be a big deal. But it is for that dog. Because that dog might have come from a puppy mill and this is an introduction to a wonderful experience that is Disney World to that dog. You will do honest work that isn’t that demanding. How tough is it to rake a yard or wash some food dishes? But at the end of the day you will have contributed something that will have made a difference to those animals. And I haven’t been there, but having worked at the Cincinnati Zoo, I can tell you it will make a profound difference to those who work there. And your presence will be felt by the animals.  I leave soon for Kanab. I’ll be writing about it almost daily. Please check back as I get ready for a trip that is going to rock my world. I can’t wait. And while you’re at it, check out Best Friends:

(Well, I thought it was a great shot…)

The Houston Parrot Festival: What an amazing Festival! A great speaker line up, combined with an incredible array of products from some cutting edge vendors offering the best products made this year’s festival a joy. And it was terrific, once I got there. And I’ll be posting about the Festival and giving you a review of sorts in pieces because there’s a lot to tell you about.

For me, getting there proved to be a real pain in the keester.  I had booked a flight that left Miami at 3:30 p.m. I had some things to take care of at the Flight Office at the airport  so I got to MIA at about 12:30; plenty of time to get my parking pass updated, update some stuff, check my luggage and straighten out some other stuff. Turns out it was more than ample time because my flight was cancelled and I was rolled over to the next one departing at 10:10 p.m. So I hung around and waited. And waited. And as you know, this waiting jazz in an airport really blows.

But time did pass, I made my flight and arrived in one piece in Houston at about 1:30 in the morning. I called my hotel and there seemed to be a problem: “No room at the Inn.” The Hilton went ahead, picked me and and put me up at a Hotel across the street. When I finally got to my first hotel room it was 2:30 in the morning. I mean, good God…

No worries however, because I was right across the street. I called the hotel after tidying up and repacking and they came to get me. But I still had to wait because the people who had decided not to check out and bounced me out of my room the night before still hadn’t checked out. So I stowed my stuff and went to check in at the Festival desk. Little problem: they lost my registration. I was now up to a fight cancellation, an eight hour delay, two hotel rooms, and no ID for the festival. Great.

Deane Cheney finally dug up my registration and gave me my ID. Little problem: no lanyard to hang it around my neck.  So we got that straightened out and I finally managed to get started with the running around and seeing everything. As I walked down the hall and was rounding the corner, I bumped into Dr. Irene Pepperberg coming out of the can.

Now, I realize most of the “PN” readers are “Parrot People” and are familiar with Irene Pepperberg and her shattering work with Alex. If you aren’t, I suggest you purchase this: Alex and Me.

And while you’re at it, you might as well watch this:

I’ve been flying for almost twenty-three years, so not a whole lot fazes me. I’ve done my time in first class and have served my share of celebrities: Shirley Temple, Alan Alda, Meryl Streep, Beverly Sills, Sade, Bill Murray, Rod Stewart, Jane Curtain, Ronald Reagan Jr., Andre the Giant, the President and First Lady of Bolivia and so on. And I once saw Stevie Wonder at LaGuardia Airport. (I don’t think he noticed me.) I never turned a hair and you kind of get used to it.

But here was Irene Pepperberg walking out of the Ladies Room and I had that “Oh my God” moment. I mean it. Really. This was my complete “Rock Star Moment Meltdown.”

Now the weird part of this is that I had met her before, but it had been about five years and not that she would remember me anyway.

So I did what I usually do; I just smiled and said “Hi Irene!” and she walked up to me and hugged me.

Well, once I managed to get my jaw off the floor, we started talking. And we sort of didn’t stop for three days. And we never really talked about her research or birds or training or anything like that. I mean it sounds kind of freakish, but those subjects just never came up because we were too busy yakking about airlines, travel, writing, our mothers, hotels, the Women’s Rights Movement and clothes. We also did a little bit of scheming and plotting for future joint projects which are already in the works…

I know what you’re thinking: Here was my chance to listen to a best-selling author and get some inside scoop on her work with Alex and we were comparing notes on how to get junk done when you’re living out of a suitcase. You know, really juicy stuff like, “Okay, so how do you wash a blouse in a hotel sink? Do you use the shampoo or the soap…” Or we were dissecting the best way to cope with certain issues that seem to crop up at shin-digs like the Parrot Festival.

I guess it was kind of an introduction to the beginning of a camaraderie that really has nothing to do with birds. But you never know, it might just involve a few birds in the future.

I just got my new tiffins and man they are lookers! Purchased from “The Happy Tiffin,” these tiffins are beautiful, functional and fun to use.  The blue tiffin on the top is a two-tier tiffin (5.0″L x 5.0″W x 4.8″H) and is perfect for all the little fussy things I like to carry with me: things like cheese slices or chunks, cut up vegetables, artichoke hearts or a small side dish. The two tiffins on the bottom are called “lunch bowls” and they are leakproof. They have a silicon seal to keep them airtight and spill-proof. Because of the seal, you cannot use the top which contains the seal in an oven, but aluminum foil works just fine. I’ll be using those for my messier meals: soup, stew, pasta with sauce and one of my favorite breakfasts: “shakshuka” which is an Israeli dish made of stewed tomatoes, garlic, onions, peppers and flavored with paprika, topped with raw egg which poaches in the hot tomato stew. Inexpensive and a slammin’ way to start the day!

I use these tiffins every day at work. They’re perfect for me because there’s no microwave on airplanes. I have to use the convection ovens onboard the aircraft so obviously Tupperware is out! Here is my lunch for today. I’m headed for Costa Rica and back:

You might very well ask, “What in God’s name does she have in there?” Well, good question. I have a ham sandwich, a cameo apple, (my favorite kind!) some radishes with butter and kosher salt, (It’s a French Bistro thing…spread the butter on the radish and dip in the salt. Really tasty!) I have some cut-up vegetables and some cottage cheese mixed with blue cheese salad dressing topped with fresh-ground pepper to dip the vegetables in. That ought to hold me all the way to San Jose!

I have an appearance to make on January 16th with Parker, Pepper and Mattie at the Petco in Naples Florida, and I’m bringing the tiffins with me. Organzied by Petco Manager Christina Giordano of “Angels of Flight,” it’s looking to be a top-flight event. She is presenting a Festival called “Tapestry of Nations.”

Originally a small, one store event, her last event for Petco, along with her networking ability, has gotten the attention of Petco Corporate people. And it should. Christina not only bagged me (again!) for the event, she got a great BIG Kahuna to join me in appearing at Petco’s, Tapestry of Nations. I’ll be speaking along with Steve Scheurich of the “Best Friends Animal Society” in Kenab Utah. (You know, “Dog Town” on the Nat Geo Channel.) We’re both doing it because we believe in what Christina is trying to accomplish. I think she is not only really talented at putting together events like this, she is wonderful with people and has gone out of her way to make sure that both Steve and I will be comfortable. Steve’s flying in from Utah and I’m driving across Alligator Alley with the dog and birds in tow, so it’s nice to know that Christina has thought of every little detail to make things easier on us; right down to ensuring there is a fridge in my hotel room for the dog and bird food. It’s a charity event for the “Petco Foundation“, so we are appearing as a favor to Christina.

It’ll be a weekend deal and with the dog and birds along, the tiffins are going to be doing double-time as food containers and water bowl for the birds and dog. I’ll just put their food in the tiffins and stick them in a cooler. The Happy Tiffin also has some really neat looking insulated bags so your tiffins journeys can be more comfy for them and for you. They’ll keep hot things hot and cold things cold. Using a tiffin and carrying your own food can be less expensive, healthier and now even more fun. So you see? The tiffins will also be making their debut at the Festival as pet food containers. Those little tiffins get around!

Got Parrots? Do a Cruise!

This looks like it’s going to be a blast! And it’s a fund raising event for the World Parrot Trust!

Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale on October 24, 2009 for 8 days  

Returning to Ft Lauderdale on November 1, 2009

 

• First Ever Fund-Raising Cruise To Help Save The Wild Parrots!                                          

  

  Check out World Parrot Trust website. 

  Information on Parrots

  Conservation Efforts 

  Pictures of Parrots

  Sounds Parrots Make

• Itinerary

  
  

  Day     Port of Call                          Arrival            Departure

  1          Ft Lauderdale, FL                                       4:00 PM

  2          Fun Day at Sea

  3          Cozumel, Mexico               8:00 AM           5:00 PM

  4          Fun Day at Sea

  5          Limon, Costa Rica              10:00 AM         6:00 PM

  6          Colon, Panama                    7:00 AM           4:00 PM

  7          Fun Day at Sea

  8          Fun Day at Sea

  9          Ft. Lauderdale, FL                8:00 AM

 Attend Our Speakers’ Presentations.  

Play Some Games.   

Win a Raffle.

 

Meet Other ”Bird” People.

 

We’ll have plenty of time while we are at sea to attend the presentations given by our speakers, and talk about our parrots.

Plus we are planning some fun time together to play some games and win some prizes. Our sponsors have donated some amazing items for lucky raffle winners. 

And, it is all for the parrots in the wild. Remember, if we don’t help, they will disappear forever!

• Pricing

  8B   Balcony               $1032.11*

  8B Balcony Single      $1764.11*

  8B Balcony Triple       $741.41*

  6B   Ocean View          $842.71*

  6B Ocean View Single $1511.11*

  4B   Inside                     $722.11*

   

  All prices quoted are based on per person rate.

   

  *A $50.00 per person charge added for conference expenses and donations to World Parrot Trust. Prices are only guaranteed as long as our block of cabins are available. Price could go up after that so get your $25pp deposit in. 

   

  Insurance is optional but strongly recommended:

  $99.00 per person – Balcony

  $89.00 per person – Ocean View

  $79.00 per person – Inside

• 325.00 due at time of booking. Final payment due August 3rd.

   

  *There is still plenty of time. Just  Go  Click  Dream  Sail  Relax  Enjoy 

• 
  

  .

That’s Pepper on the right. She’s a perfectly charming African Grey. She’s eighteen years old and she came to live with Parker and me about 3 years ago. She was found by my friend Shari housed in an 18×18 inch galvanized wire cage; probably her original cage from when she was purchased as a young bird at a now defunct pet store in Fort Lauderdale. Apparently she was well-loved by an elderly woman who was married to a gentleman that didn’t much care for Pepper. Well, as things happen, the woman died and the husband wanted nothing to do with her. Nor did the remaining family members. They wanted her out of there. By chance they happened to call the Canine Vet Shari was working for and Shari rolled into action.

Shari got her “carry-cage,” obtained the address and drove over. Well, Shari told me the situation was a little bleak. It was a small house and Pepper’s cage was positioned by a hallway, the kitchen and the way to the bathroom. Shari took notice that her dinner that evening was a piece of chicken, a piece of steak, and some walnuts placed on a paper plate on the bottom of the cage. No vegetables, no fruit, and the only toy she had was a beat-up bell. Shari told me it was just sad, depressing and dark. Bleak. Hopeless. A painful life for such a wonderful bird.

Shari hauled her home and began changing her diet. Fresh vegetables. Sprouts. A cooked bean mix. Healthy nuts. Quality pellets. A sunny bird room. Company from Shari’s other Greys: Wild-caught Fred, Igor, and Ico. It took a while but Shari got her eating quality stuff like a hog. This little bird can eat! I stopped by a few times to work with her and we got along famously. I was simply charmed by this diminutive little girl. At first, she was bitey, bitchy, and obviously uncomfortable with human contact. She barely knew how to step up and yet when I began working with her, I could feel her heart was in it despite her fear. Dozens of treats and repeated trips in and out of the cage, I finally felt she was pretty solid with being comfortable about stepping up from inside the cage and being returned. Huge praise! Lots of treats for simply stepping up. She began to trust me, but it was only a beginning. With Pepper, it was hard sledding! God, she was stubborn. Little by little, with Shari’s consistently good diet and care and my training sessions, she became “almost handleable”.  I say that because she was still fearful, but I could cope with her fears, comfort her and help her move on.

One day Shari called me and said two simple words: “It’s time.” Shari had decided that she was going to re-home Pepper with me. I was torn. I had Parker who is a bopping, happy, active and very social bird. Yet believe it or not I had been lurking on Parrot Adoption Foundations trying to find someone that would allow me to adopt a bird from them that needed help. This was difficult. I live in Florida and there just aren’t that many places around here that adopt out.

I felt I needed to “pay it forward” because Parker was purchased when I didn’t know any better, didn’t have a clue and I had done it all the wrong way. I mean I did everything wrong.  I quickly wised up and figured out I had a lot to learn. That’s when I began to read absolutely everything I could get my hands on about parrot husbandry and training. I took classes, purchased training DVDs and simply saturated my brain with all things “Bird.”

When Pepper came to live with me, I knew a hell of a lot more than I did when I first got Parker. But I had fifteen years of stuff to “undo” and there was massive retraining that had to be accomplished. But it worked. Pepper Is now almost “Cuddly” with me. She still has issues with strangers, men in particular, but with me, she is just wonderful. I’m really proud of how far she has come. Her feathers are growing back and she’s healthier. She seems to enjoy life here and I just adore her. She’s fun, interesting and she and Parker provide plenty of fodder for my Column in “Bird Talk.”

But I’m not done. I’m never done. Next week I’m attending the B.E.S.T. Parrot Conference in New Jersey where I’ll once again be immersing myself in learning even more from the best in the business: Susan Friedman, Barbara Heidenreich, Robin Shewokis, and Joanna Eckles.

I’m not thrilled about getting on an airplane on my day off, but I just can’t pass this Conference up. It’s simply too good and the information too valuable to miss. I hope I run into you there.

I realize that I refer to Phoenix Landing frequently in some of my posts. Perhaps you don’t know much about them.  It was established to promote and protect the welfare of parrots, especially those with an extensive lifespan.Phoenix Landing (PL) is a non-profit parrot welfare and education foundation. But they do more than just place parrots. They sponsor research of wild habitats and natural parrot behaviors, provide educational activities regarding the care and needs of parrots, and from what I’ve been able to gather, throw some pretty good parties for their volunteers! They provide ongoing support for the families who adopt the birds of PL, providing ongoing support and education for them. Some of the events they have are “NOURISH TO FLOURISH”, A Cooking Class for Parrots, a Behavior Workshop for building a positive relationship with your Parrot, and my favorite: “Getting Jiggy With Junk”, a toy building workshop!

They have an eye to the future of these long living creatures and are working towards building a center for these birds in North Carolina. It will be home to an Education and Conference Center, where they will sponsor cutting-edge programs about parrot care for people nationwide. This Adoption Center will allow birds to meet prospective families and be housed properly until they are adopted. The Education and Conference Center will also be available to host other special events, such as symposiums regarding conservation or the environment. The Landing will also be the permanent home to some birds living in free-flight aviaries. Lastly, a small number of rentable suites will be available overlooking the flights.

You can become a Member!

Exciting stuff but it’s going to take money. Ann Brooks and her volunteers have managed to place literally hundreds of birds over the years, but there are still hundreds waiting for “a place to land”. And they could use your help. while I realize money is a little tight these days, there are other ways to help them. They have a “Wish List” of items that they could put to good use. Some of these items are: auction Items for their National Symposium in  November of 2009,  Avery Labels 8167 White, Full spectrum light bulbs and fixtures, especially OTT, Sturdy cages in good condition, and of course they can always use parrot toys! You can help by purchasing your supplies through them.  They get excellent deals from their suppliers so you can spend more money on your parrot, and your support also helps care for the parrots of Phoenix Landing. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Dr. Irene Pepperberg wearing the scarf I made for a PL Auction.

If you have a minute, please visit them at http://www.phoenixlanding.org/home.html and take a look at their very well done website. They have a ton of great content and I think you’ll enjoy what they have to offer.  And if you can, please give them a hand. I just love what they are trying to accomplish and I hope you can help them out. Thank you.

I’d heard of Facebook but didn’t quite know what to think. I joined Facebook sometime in January from an invitation sent to me from a cyber friend. This cyber-friend actually has the same last name as me and had been searching for family members. Turn out we aren’t related, but decided we’d be “cousins” anyway.

Then the cyber-poop hit the fan. Friends, and I mean friends I haven’t seen in 25 years began finding me. It was unreal! I began getting friend invites from people from all over the globe, Norway, St. Thomas, the Philippines, Finland, just everywhere. I found some people and people found me.  I made a lot of friends among the bird community as well as airline friends. Then High School friends began finding me and well, it all got a little wild.

Then I decided to gussy up my Facebook page with some photos and added a link to “Parrot Nation”. Whoa!  Just recently I put a recipe for my parrots called “Chop” on this blog and that started getting tossed around cyberspace like rice at a wedding which thrilled me. It’s a great recipe for parrots and it’s been successful in getting birds with a bad “seed-monkey” on their back to break this “habit” and eat vegetables and other good stuff.

A few people mentioned this recipe at the Houston Parrot Festival and how it has changed the way they feed their birds. It’s in the recipe files at the Phoenix Landing Foundation Chat Group. It was published in “Bird Talk” Magazine a while back under the name “Parker’s Pot Pourri” and I’m hoping it has an impact world wide, because it makes feeding your birds “the good stuff” really easy and they will usually eat it. Sometimes it takes a while but they normally get the hang of it in pretty short order. If you know anyone who has a parrot, please have them take a look at the basic recipe for “Chop” at “Parrot Nation” because it’s just such an “easy-peasy” thing to do and frees up so much time. They eat great, and you’re aren’t standing at a cutting board twice a day. Liz Wilson mentioned in an article somewhere about people feeding their birds fresh cut or cooked recipes and stated that in her experience, they give up after a few years because it’s just too time-consuming.  Liz has many more years experience in the bird field than I do and I tend to believe her. But I couldn’t just take that lying down and accept this. I wanted to come up with a solution to the “Too busy to make a good meal for my Parrots, here have some seed” syndrome.

I wanted to come up with a solution that allows people to feed a good diet to their birds without that twice-a-day cutting board routine. I began doing research into something called “OAMC” (Once a Month Cooking) where you shop and cook for your family in one or two days and then freeze it. I figured out what freezes well, and what doesn’t. I looked at the nutritional value of fresh versus frozen vegetables, and what else “freezes beautifully”. With all of that, I came up with “Chop”. And man, does it work!

Other people everywhere seem to have caught on to this concept and as a result, there are a LOT of birds that are eating better because of it. I don’t mind a little seed. But I think people are beginning to get the idea that an all-seed diet is just a hideous thing for a bird to be on. I mean really, it just blows.  What bothers me is that there are people out there with parrots who don’t keep up with new information, don’t surf the Internet for new information, Hell, they don’t even get “Bird Talk” Magazine, and as far as I’m concerned, if you aren’t on the internet, that’s the very least you should be doing to learn about taking care of your birds.

Great for training; not so great as a base diet!

I’m not suggesting you have to download scientific papers from Avian Vet Symposiums, own a Merck Vet Manual and memorize the ideal Calcium to Phosphorus ratios (opinions range from 2.5 to 1 , down to 1.5 to 1. Okay, I know, I know;  I’m a geek…) I’m just suggesting that you really need to know what to feed your birds and then actually do it. That’s why the “Chop” recipe works so well: it’s no muss, no fuss and you don’t cuss on a daily basis about the time it takes to feed your bird a nutritional, and healthy diet. So please let all of your parrot-loving friends know that the “Chop” recipe posted here is easy, healthy and convenient for them. And as far as nutrition is concerned, it “blows” an all-seed diet out of the water.

My friend “Patricia” the Pesquet’s Parrot at the Cincinnati Zoo