Went to a Bird Expo...

LaurenB

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Oct 28, 2014
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Green Cheek Conure - Tiki //
Sun Conure - Nacho //
Indian Ringnecks - Kermit and Beaker
It was my first one and it was AWESOME.

They had a guest speaker, John Lege, who was quite incredible. He has 140 rescued parrots in his sanctuary. He brought quite a few of them with him for his demonstrations. All of the parrots - from budgies to macaws - all sat in their places on the stage THE ENTIRE day. They never budged.

Forgive me if you all know of him, but he is new to me.

Here is a link to his website:
That Guy with the Birds! - Home

He gave some VERY informative presentations. But what really had me rooted was the stories of the babies he's saved...

I was in complete tears twice. Some of these birds have terrible, terrible stories!

One B&G Mac, Beethoven, was locked in a shopping cart for 12 YEARS!!! He was up on stage that day, completely feathered, and performing!

The other story that made me cry, and again sorry if you all know about him and his birds, is the Black headed Caique and the Green Cheek Conure.

Someone dumped a Caique after locking it in a closet for a year because it was so loud.

Someone else dumped a GCC that was a breeder. This person kept their smaller birds in an aviary with the larger ones. One of the large birds one day decided it wanted whatever the GCC was eating, and removed his upper mandible! :eek: The person called John and asked if the beak would grow back, and when he said no, they asked if he would take it.

John had to feed the GCC with a syringe like a baby bird. He said every day the GCC would be in a certain spot in his aviary, waiting to be fed. One day he went in, and GCC was not in his normal spot. He found the GCC cuddled up next to the Caique... and the Caique was feeding him! He said to this day, the two of them are inseparable, and the Caique always makes sure the GCC has something to eat.:17:

I bawled. Especially when he brought that precious little GCC around, snuggled up next to the Caique buddy, to show everyone the beak.

He also had a Moluccan that was used for drug trafficking. They tormented the cockatoo until it was violent, then would pack it's crate with drugs and ship it internationally via cargo. When drug-sniffing dogs would alert to the crate, they would say "The dog is just smelling the bird". If anyone would try to reach into the crate, the bird would violently attack. Once they were caught, the cockatoo ended up with John Lege. I approached the cockatoo, who leaned out like she wanted to step up, she stepped up, rested against my chest, and spread her wings out around me like she was hugging me. It truly melted my heart!

It was really an awesome show.
 

GreatBlue320

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May 5, 2015
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Baxter - Illiger's Macaw (hatch date 5.1.15);

Taylor - Black capped Conure (RIP 3.14.15 - miss you every day little "Girlie")
Thanks for sharing! Went to John's website and saw a photo of the GCC with the missing upper mandible. Instant tears from me! And I saw the photo of the shopping cart where Beethoven was imprisoned for all those years! Yes, more tears.

I can't believe people can be so cruel to innocent birds (or any animal, for that matter). I'm so glad there are people like John who dedicate their time, and often their lives, to helping these abused creatures.
 

Dopey

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I went to that Expo. John left his parrots on their stands and during the CHOP demonstration one of the U2s came down off his stand and started chasing the CHOP speaker. She isn't into U2s and she started running. It was a hoot.
Other than that his birds were very well behaved.
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
The rescue I volunteered with had around 350 birds...

You saw a lot of that sort of thing. After awhile, I just ended up getting angry all the time. We had a saying. "Sometimes I just hate people..."

I don't hate people. But when you see stuff that ranges from the ungodly ignorant and stupid, to the just plain cruel and gross neglect. And sometimes, it crossed the line to abuse...

I don't miss having to deal with it on the daily...

After half a dozen years or so, I only wanted to be around happy birds and the people who loved them.
 

Mekaisto

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Jan 8, 2014
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Melbourne, Australia
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Zookeeper who has worked with many bird species, and owner of a cheeky red-tailed black cockatoo (Ash)
There's a very good reason I'm not a vet - I just can't deal with people's ignorance and neglect! I don't think I'd be able to stop myself punching someone...

Luckily I'm now in a position where I can educate people on the proper way to care for birds :)

I hadn't heard of John Lege, but his website is really cool!
 

Kiwibird

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Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
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1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
Thanks for sharing your experience. It never shocks me the level of depravity people will stoop to when it comes to animals:(. They treat their iPhones better than they do living, breathing beings who experience pain, loneliness, boredom and fear. What does surprise me is the capacity these beautiful creatures have to forgive humankind and overcome their pasts. It's why I'm so pro-rescue. There are just a seemingly endless amount of birds, most who have experienced some level of trauma, abuse and/or neglect in their lives desperately seeing someone willing to help them. They may need you to earn their trust, but those birds deserve love too.
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
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Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
I don't think I'd be able to stop myself punching someone...

One of the reasons I quit doing that is there were several incidents, back to back to back, that kinda pushed me to that breaking point...

A couple of them in particular were just things you never want to see, experience, or even hear about. "HOW THE @#$% COULD YOU...!!!"

It was either leave, or tenderize someone's head with a baseball bat, who desperately deserved it... (I'd be the one going to prison in that instance. "What? It was just a bird. Get a grip on yourself.")

And this was on top of the internal politics of the rescue, and the workload, trying to balance that with the demands of parenting, and the demands of career, and the demands of caring for my own flock... it was too much!

That's when I decided, for the sake of my own mental health, it was time to walk away.
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
He gave some VERY informative presentations. But what really had me rooted was the stories of the babies he's saved...

I was in complete tears twice. Some of these birds have terrible, terrible stories!

One B&G Mac, Beethoven, was locked in a shopping cart for 12 YEARS!!! He was up on stage that day, completely feathered, and performing!

Yeah... Exactly!

So much for that "birds with baggage" myth...

Work with them they thrive (or thrive again.)

Don't work with them, they don't.

It's rocket science.
 

MinkFeathers

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May 23, 2015
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I have considered joining a rescue to get insight and experience before adding a bird to my life. I have rescued horses, dogs, cys, and reptiles. A bird should be next! My only issue...I can't seem to find a local avian rescue. =(
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
I have considered joining a rescue to get insight and experience before adding a bird to my life. I have rescued horses, dogs, cys, and reptiles. A bird should be next! My only issue...I can't seem to find a local avian rescue. =(

It's actually invaluable. I only had one conure when I started. But at those kinds of places, you handle everything, and you rehab everything, and you just learn by doing...

You don't learn bird handling by reading theories... you learn it by doing. And then you pick up on breed tendencies, and learn their little tricks, and in the process, you find out which species you really enjoy and want to have as a permanent addition, and which species you want to work with but admire from afar... (and not take home.)

How else can you gain experience with that many different species... I mean, pet stores don't cut it. Those are docile little babies for the most part. You ain't seen nothing yet...

Like with large toos, you don't even know what you are dealing with until that bird turns five, and you are either in hell, or you're not...

What state are you in?
 

MinkFeathers

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May 23, 2015
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I'm in Nashville TN.

And I agree with you on how important it is to learn by experience as well, especially with such an 'individual' as a bird. Reptiles are (for the most part) pretty black and white. And horses and dogs came natural to me as they are all about respect and dominance, which isna pillar of my personality and has been since I was a kid.

Birds though? They seem more like equals, more child like than horses or dogs, and far more needy than a reptile. I'm aprehensive but very curious and interested as well. When I was like 17 I helped an old lady with her aviary. Wow...she had SO much invested in them and I had no clue! I just helped feed and water mostly. Not alot of actual handling. But she had 10 breeding pairs of hyathisn (sp?) Macaws, a pair that was a BG and Sxarlet I think (produced harliquins) a few tu's, and some rescues and pets. She handfed every baby and took such amazing care of them. At the time I was kind of afraid of them and just hated the noise. Then again, she probably had iver 100 parrots in an out door aviary, each one (or pair) in their own flight enclosure. It was overwhelming and probably why I'm apprehensive now lol. I'd like to re-experience this though now that I have more understanding, less fear, and FAR more interest! (I was there for her horses but loved her and would help in the aviary just to hang out more lol. I'm such a nerd sometimes)
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
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258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
What does surprise me is the capacity these beautiful creatures have to forgive humankind and overcome their pasts. They may need you to earn their trust, but those birds deserve love too.

Well, parrots generally don't sit and linger on their pasts... birds don't analyze their feelings. They just feel what they feel, when they feel it.

They do hold grudges... and sometimes associate a particular hairstyle, or mannerism, or object, with the person that hurt them, and react to it.

So, if they go from angry, in poor health, nasty from not being bathed and feeling lonely and neglected, to feeling good again, they generally bounce right back...

There were only a few who didn't... where the cumulative effect of the trauma caused so much damage that they simply didn't respond well to humans... [The equivalent of Birdie Borderline Personality Disorder.]

The vast majority of them?! Bounced right back as soon as they felt better, and felt safe. Hey, we're buddies now, right?! Pick me up. Let's play.

You could still trigger the fear based behaviors and trauma, especially when they were beaten with objects... (My Sally and brooms, for example. You don't know until she sees you coming towards with one of those things, and goes into freak out mode. And in those instances, you just do specific behavior mods to get them over their fear. And it generally goes away with time.)
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)

MinkFeathers

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May 23, 2015
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Thanks! One of those links is to a place in GA though lol.

I looked through the links in the Bird Rescue Group and so far, all seem inactive. But I sent enails anyway and will wait on a reply.

I have GOT to climb out from under my rock and make a facebook....not having one is proving to be difficult x.x
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
Thanks! One of those links is to a place in GA though lol.

They used to have a link on that site to all the rescues in the U.S. by state. I didn't look to see if it was still there. These are old links.
 

Hawk

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Dec 5, 2014
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5 Parrots, 8 year old Blue-fronted Amazon, 2 1/2 yr. old African Grey, 2 3/4 year old Senegal. 5 month old ekkie, 5 month old Albino parakeet. Major Mitchell Cockatoo, passed away at age 68.
It was my first one and it was AWESOME.

They had a guest speaker, John Lege, who was quite incredible. He has 140 rescued parrots in his sanctuary. He brought quite a few of them with him for his demonstrations. All of the parrots - from budgies to macaws - all sat in their places on the stage THE ENTIRE day. They never budged.

Forgive me if you all know of him, but he is new to me.

Here is a link to his website:
That*Guy*with*the*Birds! - Home

He gave some VERY informative presentations. But what really had me rooted was the stories of the babies he's saved...

I was in complete tears twice. Some of these birds have terrible, terrible stories!

One B&G Mac, Beethoven, was locked in a shopping cart for 12 YEARS!!! He was up on stage that day, completely feathered, and performing!

The other story that made me cry, and again sorry if you all know about him and his birds, is the Black headed Caique and the Green Cheek Conure.

Someone dumped a Caique after locking it in a closet for a year because it was so loud.

Someone else dumped a GCC that was a breeder. This person kept their smaller birds in an aviary with the larger ones. One of the large birds one day decided it wanted whatever the GCC was eating, and removed his upper mandible! :eek: The person called John and asked if the beak would grow back, and when he said no, they asked if he would take it.

John had to feed the GCC with a syringe like a baby bird. He said every day the GCC would be in a certain spot in his aviary, waiting to be fed. One day he went in, and GCC was not in his normal spot. He found the GCC cuddled up next to the Caique... and the Caique was feeding him! He said to this day, the two of them are inseparable, and the Caique always makes sure the GCC has something to eat.:17:

I bawled. Especially when he brought that precious little GCC around, snuggled up next to the Caique buddy, to show everyone the beak.

He also had a Moluccan that was used for drug trafficking. They tormented the cockatoo until it was violent, then would pack it's crate with drugs and ship it internationally via cargo. When drug-sniffing dogs would alert to the crate, they would say "The dog is just smelling the bird". If anyone would try to reach into the crate, the bird would violently attack. Once they were caught, the cockatoo ended up with John Lege. I approached the cockatoo, who leaned out like she wanted to step up, she stepped up, rested against my chest, and spread her wings out around me like she was hugging me. It truly melted my heart!

It was really an awesome show.

John is a great inspiration......

Geeeeee and you didn't invite me??? :(
just kidding....there are a few up coming expo's for parrots and intend to go.
 

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