This just about sums it up

Ann Brooks, Paying Forward

Please go to the above link and read it. Please. Instead of boring you with re-typing what she has just said in my own words for this blog post, even if it does need to be shouted from the rooftops, I will quote-

• One way we can help parrots is to encourage adoption.  Let’s inform people that all companion birds deserve to have a succession of good homes.  Someday your bird will likely need one or more new homes too, and you’ll want those to be good ones.   Let’s promote adoption as the norm, not just something for the “rescues.”

• Another way we can help parrots is to teach people that birds are resilient, regardless of their past.  Nature has built them to be adaptable in order to survive. Phoenix Landing rarely uses the word rescue because this word conjures up a sense of abuse, neglect, harm, and baggage.  Most of the birds that come to us are from loving homes where it is just no longer possible for them to care for a bird; but even true rescue birds are likely to adapt if given an opportunity to thrive.  I have yet to meet a parrot that was not adoptable, there is usually an appropriate family for each and every one.

Really, I mean it, please go to the above link on the Phoenix Landing blog. And if you have not seen it already here is the Phoenix Landing website.

Well Hello Folks!

Hope everyone is doing ok through this hurricane season! I left coastal NE Va and went west to the mountains to my new house to escape Hurricane Irene, but as there is no internet hooked up there yet I have been totally cut off, so to speak, until I got back last night. Fortunately, my guys are all great travelers, hopping right in their carriers just ready to go, so the trips went well, very little stress overall. They did seem to approve of the new house as well, or what they saw of it. The first-floor/basement is not ready for them yet so they just stayed in their travel carriers upstairs. Hopefully it will be ready soon, though. I am very excited planning it all! Plenty of room for everyone.

To end this post, I will change the subject quite suddenly to share a funny (although at the time it was rather nerve-racking) story about Gwen and the birds. As I said, the birds were staying upstairs in my bedroom in their travel cages. I occasionally have the ekkies out around Gwen, as she knows her stop/come/drop/leave commands very well, and has not showed any aggression towards them. She is actually quite afraid of them when they are out, and surprisingly seems to view them when locked up as a true part of her family. However, I never, ever, ever have her out with the smaller birds. In the past she has showed aggression towards them (does seem to regard them as family now, though), but more than that, they could fit in her mouth and I do not take chances with predators and prey!

Anyway, getting back to the story after all that background, I had all the birds in their travel cages, and Gwen was also in there, asleep on my bed. I was outside in the main room. The birds were doing their normal daily vocalizations, but over time I have learned the difference between a very excited "something-is-wrong" call (not meaning the alarm call- that is totally different) and their normal "I love screaming to the heavens" calls. As soon as I hear the "something might be wrong/off" calls I always go check, as I did yesterday morning. I have talked in the past about the wonderful ability Yo-yo has to escape cages and he had once again been at work, getting out of what I was sure he would not. This part would normally have been very upsetting, considering that Gwen was in the room with them, particularly considering Yo-yo was in the process of letting Ava and Linus out and Miss Patty was following close behind. However, Gwen was clearly not in the mood for birdie chase, and shot out of the door like a rocket as soon as I opened it. My mother was there with me, and she collected the shivering Gwen in the hall, before putting her down so Gwen could run downstairs to hide. Really, I had no idea she was so upset by the prospect of loose birds! I know I joke about the long held plan my Aussies have to take over the world, lead by Yo-yo, but I had no idea she took me seriously!

I still do not have any good pics of the new house/bird area yet, but hopefully soon I will have some!