CARE has a couple of events coming up in the near future, so mark your calendars!

• AWARE pet expo on Saturday, Feb. 2. Lori will be speaking -- probably at 11; but that's always subject to change. This is a great event if you're thinking about adding any new pet to your household. Many exhibitors will be on hand, with organizations showcasing animals up for adoption. CARE will have bird toys and food for sale. See their website for more information!
• Bird Fest at Wehr Nature Center also on Saturday, Feb. 2. The Wehr Nature Center is a fantastic county park and puts on many educational events throughout the year. There will be plenty of things to do, especially for kids!
• Oshkosh Pet Expo on March 15 & 16. More information to follow!

In doing these events, CARE hopes to spread an educational message about companion parrots. We want to let people know about the pros and cons about adding a bird to their household so that people can make an informed decision about whether this is something that they want to do. Also, we want to let people know about the birds that we have up for adoption, looking for their second (or more!) chance for a loving family.

2007 was another busy year for CARE. We had 352 birds surrendered to us. These are birds that had a loving home at one point but for one reason or another, lost that home. More often than not, the reason birds are surrendered to us boils down to the fact that birds are wild animals and are unable to meet their humans' unrealistic expectations.
Breakdown of birds surrendered during 2007:

6 African Greys
11 Amazons
56 Budgies
3 Canaries
70 Cockatiels
15 Cockatoos
19 Conures
25 Doves
62 Finches
1 Lory
43 Lovebirds
14 Macaws
11 Parakeets
3 Parrotlets
4 Pionus
4 Poicephalus
5 Quail

We hope that everyone reading will take the time to appreciate their birds for who they are -- wild animals that are trying their best to adapt to life in our living rooms. Give them a few extra head scratches, sing a silly song together, and appreciate the quirkiness they bring to our lives.

If you have the time, space, and desire to add another bird to your flock, consider a rescue bird. Not all second-hand (or more!) birds come with insurmountable issues. Some of the best human-parrot bonds we've ever seen have come from parrots who didn't meet their human until the parrot was well into the second decade of his life.
If you're having issues with a bird that's currently in your life, please consider trying to work with him or her. Sometimes a few environmental changes and an understanding owner can make a huge difference and can help your bird to become a loving companion.

We've recently had quite a few cockatiels surrendered to us, so if you've been thinking about adding one of these guys, now might be the time!

Cockatiels are often underrated as pets due to their smaller size. However, they can be very loving and fun companions!
If you think you might be interested in adding a cockatiel to your life, please fill out a Bird Wanted Questionnaire or stop by the Center during our open hours.

Sorry for the long time since the last post. We've been very busy at the Center! We've had several very sad cases of neglect and abuse that have taken up much of our time.

But, on to happier thoughts! Here is Cuervo, a sun conure that is up for adoption. He's about 10 years old and very tame and friendly. As you can see, he is also gorgeous! Cuervo's owners surrendered him because they moved into a condo and could not have him. Sun conures have a very loud call! But, if you live in a single-family dwelling and are looking to add some brightness to your day, Cuervo just might be your guy!

Burt is a goffin's cockatoo that was surrendered to CARE last year. Although his previous owners loved him, cockatoos do not make good pets for most people as they are wild animals that sometimes have trouble adapting to live in captivity. Realizing they couldn't provide Burt what he needed, they surrendered him to us.

Burt's luck took an amazing turn when he met and fell in love with the woman who eventually adopted him. Luckily for him, the feeling was mutual and she took him home to live out his days as a cherished member of her family.



Burt loves doing a somersaults! You can see that he does a little jump for joy at the end -- he is so proud of himself. This is something that Burt and his owner do to strengthen their bond and to keep his mind active.

It's so great to see these success stories!

Pepsi and Sprite are two quakers that were found as strays. We are working on socializing them with humans and getting them on a great diet. During the time they have been with us, they are starting to trust people more and will make great companions for whoever is lucky enough to adopt them!

Quakers are illegal in some states, as they can escape and be considered agricultural pests. Two of our volunteers unexpectedly ran into a feral flock of quakers while on vacation in Barcelona, Spain! A quick Internet search unfortunately shows that Spain is planning on offing these cute guys.

If you are interested in adopting Pepsi, Sprite, or any of the other parrots we have up for adoption, please fill out a Bird Wanted Questionnaire!

Have a great weekend!

Elvira and Elvis are cockatiels that were recently surrendered to CARE. They have not been handled in a long time, so we are working with them to show them that humans can be fun! They are both plucked a little bit, but their feathering has improved during the time they've been with us, and we believe that most of their feathers will grow back. Not that that's important, as some of the birds with the best personalities have feather destruction issues!

On a different topic, you may have seen a video of Snowball, the dancing cockatoo that has taken the Internet by storm! Snowball was surrendered to Birdlovers Only Rescue. CARE volunteers and Birdlovers Only Rescue volunteers have been working together over the past year to share knowledge and to help place birds into appropriate homes. Tonight, Snowball will be appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman! Best of luck to Irena and Snowball!