Sorry for not updating more frequently. We've been very busy! Lots of releases, a few adoptions. If you're looking to add a new bird to your household, we have many available, from tiny budgies to large macaws!

I was walking past our large aviary (cage donated by Cages by Design) where the budgies and a few other birds live. I saw this adorable budgie hanging out on the figure 8 rope swing, and I had to take a picture! Many birds love swings -- perhaps it triggers some kind of innate response due to being outside on branches moving in the wind?

Swinging can be great exercise for birds who enjoy it! Some birds will flap away on a swing as you give it a push -- much like a young child on a swing at the park. Of course, you have to make sure that you're not moving too quickly for the bird's comfort zone!

In less than two months, Hector (severe macaw) has gone from this: to this:
It might be a little difficult to see in this picture, but we wanted to emphasize his playfulness! He came to us a sad, scared macaw that didn't have perches or toys. He didn't know how to perch on perches in his new cage with us, or on people's arms. He'd just hang off of the side of his cage. And even though that's what he's doing in the above picture, he has learned how to perch and does it often!

His feathering has greatly improved from his new diet, and he is keeping his beak trim by playing with toys. Look at all of the wood that he has been chipping!
Here he is, eating some apple. I have not yet met a severe macaw that didn't love to eat red apples!

As we've come to get to know Hector over the past few months, his personality is really starting to shine through. Can you tell that I absolutely love this guy since I keep writing about him? Anyway, we are looking for that perfect forever home for him. He needs a lot of individual attention and an understanding owner since severe macaws tend to be beaky and difficult to live with. He hasn't had the best background, which will take patience and understanding to overcome. But, that special person will be rewarded with fierce loyalty and the devotion of an intelligent, humorous being that is searching for routine and stability in his life.

Rio is an approximately 22 year old Mexican Red Head Amazon that is looking for that perfect home. He was cagebound and not handled for most of his life. However, he has the stereotypical amazon love of life! He is very handleable (despite his past!) and craves human interaction. When I walk by his cage, he immediately starts pinning his eyes and begging for attention -- how can you resist!

Amazons are very intelligent. They thrive in a home that will work on keeping them mentally and physically stimulated! Because they have a tendency to become obese perch potatoes, it is important to feed them a healthy diet and incorporate a fun exercise program into their daily routine!

Stop by if you'd like to meet Rio or any of the other birds that we have up for adoption!

CARE still has quite a few lovebirds up for adoption. As I was walking past Robin's cage the other day, I noticed her hanging out in one if her swings. She is just so adorable! Robin can get a bit nippy, though, so we recommend that she go to a home without young children. She is a great toy player and needs to find a home with people who will frequently interact with her and give her lots of new toys! Connie and Scooter were surrendered to us in a cage that was caked with cigarette smoke. The cage they were in supposedly was white, but it looked yellow from years of smoke (needless to say, we could not adequately remove years of debris and had to throw away this cage). During the couple of weeks that they have been with us on an improved diet, more toys, and smoke-free environment, they have really blossomed! Connie is a bit plucked, but is looking so much better it's hard to believe she's the same bird! Connie and Scooter don't like to have a lot of human interaction at this point, so we're looking for a home that will move slowly with them and allow them to be birds -- after all, they have each other!
Curry is a young lovebird who is very friendly. Some well-meaning grandchildren bought him as a gift for their grandmother from a pet store. Unfortunately, she was afraid of him, and realizing that she couldn't provide him the home he deserved, she surrendered him to us. With the holiday season coming up, please reconsider buying live animals as pets. While it occasionally works out, so many times, it doesn't and the animal suffers. Instead, you can create a gift basket for that person with accessories for the animal and then go with them to a shelter to find an animal that chooses them. That way, everyone wins!!!

Frequent visitors to CARE might recognize the above bird as Butch, a fabulous blue and gold macaw. He stayed in our adoption program for over a year, looking for the right family. He once again proves that some things are worth waiting for, as he is in the perfect situation! Butch is very well loved and often goes to work with a member of his new family. He is opening up even more than he did at the Center and showing why he captured almost everyone's heart while he stayed with us.

His family also adopted Jade, a hybrid macaw that also was at our facility for a long time. Here are Jade and Butch, under close supervision. Jade's personality is more firey than Butch's, but his family is ready for the challenge and Jade's behavior is already improving with consistent, loving care. Look at Butch's long, beautiful tail! When he was surrendered to us, his tail was in very poor shape, but the wonderful care he's received since then has improved his feather quality!

Visitors to the Center may recognize this painting of Butch, as it hangs in our retail area:
Mary Hughes, an extremely talented artist and wonderful person, painted a portrait of Butch from pictures we sent to her. It's hard to believe, but the actual portrait is even more breathtaking than this picture of it! Mary is able to capture amazing detail and somehow the personality of the bird she's painting.

If you're looking for a gift for an animal-loving person in your life -- or just want to commemorate your own animals -- visit Mary's website and see what she can do! The prices are ridiculously reasonable and you'll cherish the resulting painting for generations!!! Stop by to see the painting if you'd like to see the work up close.

This is Ben, an 8 year old male umbrella cockatoo that was surrendered to us last month. He is a casualty of divorce.

Ben is tame and handleable and so far has not shown preference for either males or females.

He is a great toy player and talks and sings to keep himself occupied.

If you are interested in adopting a cockatoo, we recommend that you go to www.mytoos.com and read their website!

CARE will once again be appearing at Rainforest Night at the Domes on Friday, October 12. Please see the link for more information!

In addition, representatives from CARE will be appearing on Fox 6 Milwaukee at 8 am on Tuesday, October9, from the Domes and on Telemundo on Wednesday, October 10 (with translators, of course!)

We really hope to see you there and will have more information about this on the blog next week.

The macaw in the above picture is Jenny, a young B&G macaw that has already been in several homes. She is very intelligent and playful, and would love to find a forever home. If you think that may be you, please visit our website and fill out a Bird Wanted Questionnaire!

Here is a video of some of the finches that we have up for adoption. In the beginning, you hear many of the sounds of other birds in the aviary, but towards the end, you can hear the delightful beeping of these finches.

UPDATE: Millie and Cleo have been adopted, and are in their new home! We love happy endings here!

This next post may seem a little strange since we are a nonprofit and exist thanks to your donations and support. Why would we be promoting another charity in need? Read on...

While parrot rescues such as ours play an important role, it's a role that we wish we didn't need to play. Parrots do not make good pets. They are wild animals, and not well-suited to living in captivity. Very few homes are willing/able to provide the high quality lifelong care these sentient beings require. We see the results every day: parrots that scream, bite, pluck, mutilate, etc. Even with the best possible captive care, some parrots will develop these behavior issues.

That being said, we are realistic. The parrot trade is unlikely to go away anytime soon. CARE, and other reputable rescues, exist to help parrots find new homes, and to educate people about how to provide their bird the best home possible.

But we think it's also important to support organizations that are working to save these majestic creatures in the wild. The Indonesian Parrot Project is one such organization. In a nutshell, they work with former bird-trappers to provide them with alternative means of income. They also work to rehabilitate and release parrots that have been recently captured back into the wild. Please check out their website for more detailed information!

They also sell Molucca nuts, which provides jobs for people who otherwise might be trapping parrots, and helps support their mission. One of our volunteers has been buying these for her parrots, and they love these special treats, even though her parrots are native to Africa and South America; not Indonesia!

Thank you for reading, and once again, thanks for all of your support of CARE over the years. We've helped over a thousand birds find new homes over the years, and we couldn't have done it without you!