Bird Stories
A Sunny Day
I had always wanted a bird, but the expense and stories I'd heard kept me from pursuing this desire. My daughter and I were working in a nursing home with our Welsh Corgi doing pet therapy when we discovered that they had a bird in the cafeteria. It was a cockatiel and was very frightened of people. I asked if I could take it home for a week or two and work with it. Little did I know that it takes more than a week or two to rehabilitate a bird. The nursing home wanted their bird back so reluctantly I took it back, but having had the bird in my home made me realize that it was indeed time for a bird. I didn't want to buy one from a pet store as all my animals have been adopted from shelters. At that time I didn't realize that there are now shelters that have adoptable birds. I informed the local pet store that I was looking for a bird to adopt and I posted notices around town in the hopes of finding a bird. Within 24 hours I got a call from someone who had found a bird in their yard, she had gotten my name from the local pet store, would I take the bird and try to find it's owner. LIttle did I know that I was on my way to rescuing my first bird. I grabbed a cat carrier and went to get the bird. As soon as I walked into the womans home this little yellow bird with orange cheeks flew to my shoulder and it was love at first sight. I kept telling myself that it wasn't my bird, but I was already in love. I brought the bird home and my daughter fell in love with him too, but I kept telling myself, "it's not your bird." I wasn't home more than a few minutes when the phone rang and it was the birds owner. The birds name was Sunny and the owner and I spoke for a few minutes as I raved about what a great bird he was. Then she said, "Oh, so you like him?" I knew what was coming next. Yes, I said, why, knowing what she was about to ask me. Do you want him, she asked? Yes, yes, yes, yes!! Within 15 minutes Sunny's previous owner came to my home with his cage and Sunny was mine. I was so thrilled, I loved him so very much right from the start. The next morning I came down to take Sunny out and the back of his neck was a bloody mess! I was horrified, but had read about this. I raced him to the nearest vet as it was a weekend. I knew he needed a collar to keep him from picking and mutilating his neck further. I phoned his previous owner and discovered that he had started doing this when the owners daughter to whom he was bonded, moved out. Sunny just couldn't handle the separation. After a few weeks, his neck healed and I took the collar off, but overnight he mutilated himself again. Over the course of the next year I tried several times to wean him off the collar, only to have him mutilate himself again. Sunny has to wear the collar all the time now. He still picks feathers out below the collar line on his back, but he no longer mutilates. He is happy and well adjusted, although tends to prefer people to birds. I have 13 rescued birds now and spent several years volunteering at a bird rescue organization. Self mutilation is very common in captive birds. Birds are emotionally wired and they bond for life. When separated from the one they are bonded to they frequently pick feathers out and sometimes this leads to self mutilation. In all my research, humans are the only other animal that engages in this sort of behavior, I have never read about other captive animals doing this to themselves. It makes me wonder, what have we done to these exquisite creatures. I don't believe that they belong in captivity, we have done them a great injustice. So I will continue my mission to educate people and pray for the day that birds are no longer in cages. They belong in the sies, flying free.
A Gift from God - The Story of Argee and Allie
It was not long after I rescued my first bird, Sunny, that I found a bird rescue where I could volunteer. I knew the moment that I walked into this place that this was what I wanted to do with my life, rescue abandoned and abused exotic birds. They had strick rules about adopting so it wasn't until after I'd been there several months that they let me adopt a beautiful pair of plum-head parakeets, Argee (male) and Mimi (female). I was so thrilled to have these precious little birds. Argee was so regal with his bright magenta head, a black band around his neck and shiny irriedescent green feathers with a little purple patch on each wing. Mimi was more demure, a dusty purple head with a yellow band around her neck and the same irreidecent green feathers, but no purple markings on the wings. They were a sweet pair, but it was clear that they had known abuse. Mimi wore that sad look of fear and was not to quick to trust me. Argee came around a little easier and we became very close.. Shortly after I had them home I discovered that Mimi was handicapped. Her elbow joint on both legs were locked so she couldn't fly; her landing gear didn't work. I had they in a large flight cage and they were allowed out with the other birds every day. Argee and I grew close, but Mimi remained stand off-ish. That was okay, I wanted them to trust me in their own time, you can't make a bird love you, and I knew that, so I accepted them for who they were.
A few years after I brought them home Argee started having trouble getting around. His legs were going. I knew they were older birds, although how old one rarely knows with rescued birds. I noticed Mimi going after Argee as is frequently the case when another bird in the flock becomes weak. Sadly I knew that it was time to separate them. I brought them up to my room where I could keep a closer eye on them and put them each in their own cage making sure the cages were very close together. They had been together all their lives and I knew it was important to keep them as close as possible. Mimi refused to come out of her cage and for the duration of Argee's life she chose to remain in her cage. I invited her to come out, but respected the fact that she didn'twant to. Argee hung on for about 7 months and during those months we became very closer. I held him and snuggled him every night, drinking in his scent and memorizing every inch of his body. I loved him so much, but I knew the end could come any day so I savored every moment I had with him.
In July of 2005, 3 years after I adopted them, Argee passed on. It was a peaceful death. We had talked about it together for many months and we both knew it was time. I hated to see him go, I loved him so very much, but something else was around the corner,something so very unexpected. The day before Argee passed on I recieved a call from the rescue center where I volunteered. Would I go and rescue a bird and bring it down to the center, the bird was in my town and the woman had called them as she had to give up her bird. Of course I would, this is what I do. I said my goodbyes to Argee, but there was no time for grieving just then, I had to go rescue another bird, but I had no idea what was in store for me. I buried Argee in the garden, a magenta hyacinth marks the spot and then off I went to rescue this other bird.
I entered the womans apartment, it was dark and I couldn't see very well. There were empty bags of take-out food strewn about and a chocolate labrador was rooting around looking for something to eat. When he came into the light I saw how emaciated he was, this dog needed help. The woman had told me on the phone that she was also trying to place the dog and I assured her that I would help with that too.. There by the door was a large cage with a beautiful green bird. It was an Alexandrine Parakeet. The cage was filthy and the bird barely had room to move around. The woman opened the cage door and the bird took flight. She flew around the room and finally landed on top of the cage. That's when I saw it. My eyes went wide and my mouth dropped open.. She had Argee's wings!!! Beautiful irridescent wings with a purple patch on each side. I wasn't planning on adopting this bird, but when I saw her wings I felt as though God had given me a piece of my dear, sweet Argee back. The birds name was Al Green because she was all green and the woman thought it was a male. I renamed her Allie.
On July 4th, 2005, Allie came home. She was in fairly decent shape, a little thin and her head hadn't been preened, but every time I looked at her wings I was reminded of Argee. It took many months for Allie to finally trust me, but after a year now, we are very very close. She is the first large bird that I rescued and she has taught me so much about living with a large bird. Daily I am reminded that when God takes something, He also gives something back. As I returned Argee into God's care, so he gave me Allie, with her beautfiul wings like my Argee. She is a treasure and a true gift from God.
And what of Mimi? After grieving the lose of Argee for about a month in which time I thought I might lose her; she stopped eating, lost weight, lost feathers, but then one day as I was taking everyone out, it looked like she wanted to come out too. I opened the door of her cage and asked her if she wanted to come out? She started flapping her wings and had a look of anticipation on her face, so I reached in and she grabbed onto my finger. The look of fear she wore for so long was gone. She was a very different bird, her whole personality had changed.
It has been over a year since I lost Argee, but Mimi is thriving. She loves to come out with the the other birds. She hangs onto my pinkie finger and furiously flaps her wings when I take her out as I tell her to fly. She never lets go or tries to fly away from me. I bring her close to my face and tell her to stop flapping and give kisses. She gives me the sweetest most gentle kisses, as many as I want, sweet Mimi kisses. Her legs are going too, but she is a strong little bird, eats well and enjoys being out with the other handicapped birds. She too is a reminder of Argee. I treasure each day with her as well and when it's her time I will bury her in the garden and plant a light purple hyacinth, right next to Argee. She too is a treasure and a true gift from God.
The Price of Ignorance - Willie's Story
I usually remember when I talk with someone about birds, but this didn't ring a bell. The phone call came one morning in June of 2005, a gentleman called and explained that he and I had talked about his bird and would I take it. I didn't remember him, but if I had said I'd take the bird, well then I will take the bird. Within about an hour the man arrived with a beautiful cockatiel in a cage. From all outward appearances the bird looked fine. The gentleman told me the birds name was Willie and that he and his wife had to get rid of him because he made too much noise and the neighbors were complaining. It was a story I had heard before many times. I assured him that the bird would have a good home with me and with that he left. I didn't take Willie out that night, but decided to let him settle in to his new environment. The next morning the horror came. I took Willie out and discovered that he had two broken legs and a nasty case of Scaly Face, a disease that affects primarily budgies and cockatiels; it is a small mite that eats away at the delicate tissue on the feet, legs, and cere of a bird. Willie was very pecky, and with good reason, he was in a lot of pain. His legs had gotten broken because his owners never clipped his nails. It was clear that Willie had probably gotten his nail caught on a toy and in his effort to extricate himself he broke his legs. He couldn't manage a perch because each leg had broken in a different place and Willie, in a effort to be comfortable, held the leg in the most comfortable possition and the bones fused in an unnatural position. I immediately took Willie to my avian vet. Scaly Face is treatable and although Willie had a very severe case, he would be okay, but he would never be able to sit on a perch. I also discoverd that Willie had one of his wings cropped so that even if his legs were okay, he would never have been able to fly. By human definition,Willie is a quadrapeligic. Willie has never known flight on his own, but I discovered that I could hold his body in my hands with his wings hanging over my fingers, he stays in my hand and flaps his wings as I parade him around the room and I tell him, Willie Billie flying. This has to be seen to be believed, but those who have seen it are amazed that this broken little bird seems to know that he is flying. My other flighted birds circle the room with him as I hold him up high in the air so he has the feeling of flying. Willie has two girlfriends, female birds that just adore him. I had to build a platform in his cage so he could be up high and see the other birds. He no longer has Scaly Face, we took care of that and as far as I can tell, he is not in any pain. Willie is the quietest bird in my flock and if he was making noise it might very well have been because he was lonely and in pain.. As with all my rescued birds, I love Willie and his quality of life is good now. He has accepted him handicap and has found a way to forgive the humans, even though it was humans that crippled him. Willie has paid the price of human ignorance, and a high price it has been.
Abandoned - Ringo and Star
I had been working at a bird sanctuary for about a year and knew that I wanted to do rescue work with birds. As I write this I don't remember how many birds I had at the time, but I was in love with them and wanted to rescue more. I was in the pet supply store one day and saw an index card that read, "Free cockatiels, call..." and there was of course a number. Why, I wondered, were they free, something about this ad in particular struck a cord in me. I took the card and called the number when I got home. I woman answered the phone and explained that one of her tenents had moved out and left the birds. I was horrified, but not surprised, this happens quite frequently. The landlady had a cockatiel and perhaps the owners of the birds thought she would keep them, but the were unhandlable and she didn't want them. I immediately went to rescue these two abandoned birds. Since they had no names and the Beatles is one of my favorite bands, I named them Ringo and Star. They both wore that sad look of fear I had so often seen in birds. Star had the most problems, she couldn't fly due to a badly damaged right wing and I learned very quickly why the wing was so damaged. Star, like many cockatiels, has night frights. Almost like seizures, she frantically flays around the cage in fear banging her wings agaist the bars of the cage. The wing is so badly damaged that she can no longer fly. There have been times when it has been like a blood bath, feathers all over the floor of the cage and blood everywhere. She can go months without an episode, once she went 6 months without one and I thought they were gone, but then one morning, once again, feathers and blood all over the floor of the cage. Ringo faired a little better and after 2 years of working with him, he is now easily handled. He comes out of the cage, gives me kisses and enjoys interacting with the other birds, although he tends to stay on his cage near his beloved Star. As I've watched these two birds it is also a story of devotion. Ringo is very protective and loving toward his Star, and I enjoy just watching them interact. Star no longer wears the look of fear, but she still is terrified of "hands", and it is clear that someone frightened her. Even now after 2 years, she will not willingly come to me as Ringo does and I don't know if she ever will. What happened to these two beautiful birds? Sadly their story is not unique. Birds are abandoned like this every day. There are now shelters that rescue birds, the problem is that many of them have been abused and that makes them unadoptable like Ringo and Star. Without sanctuaries for these birds to live out their lives they are frequently put to sleep. All of the birds here are unadoptable because of issues due to abuse and neglect on the part of their human owners. When are we going to learn? How many birds will have to suffer because of our inflated ego?
