Books and Birds
Our Butterfly-in-Chief with Gryphon the Timneh African Grey parrot.
Today is National Pet Bird Day in the US! And, of course, I had to jump on the opportunity to wax enthusiastic about two of my favourite things – books and birds!
National Pet Bird Day, September 17th, was launched in 2019 by The Bird Enjoyment and Advantage Koalition (BEAK) in an effort to educate and grow responsible bird ownership. This is an effort that is sorely needed as birds are often not well taken care of and are underestimated in terms of their intelligence, need for enrichment and interaction, and their very specific nutritional and veterinary needs.
In a perfect world, birds would be free to live their lives in nature and no one would breed or own captive birds. Sadly, we live in an imperfect world. And birds suffer the consequences of that. I became in involved in fostering for Birdline Calgary 13 years ago, acquired some rescue birds independently as well, and became a foster failure quite quickly – I fell in love with the beautiful yet damaged birds that I welcomed into my home and ended up with a bird room full of birds ranging in size from zebra finches to Eclectus parrots.
Presently, I share my home with Fred, an Amazon parrot, Gryphon, a Timneh African Grey parrot, Cricket, a Senegal parrot, Mooshie and Jessie, the two Eclectus parrots, Marigold the Cockatiel, and Sugarplum the lovebird. I am committed to giving them the best life I can since they are sentenced to a life of captivity. They are a ton of work. Feeding the flock every morning takes an hour – preparing bowls of fresh food, alongside their pellets and fresh water. They need ample time out of their cages and social interaction and enrichment through play and vocalizing. And they need tons of cleaning. Birds are messy and destructive. And I love them all.
Meet, clockwise from the top left, Fred, Mooshie, Gryphon, and Jessie.
This is Cricket.
Another pic of Jessie, chatting with our Butterfly-in-Chief.
The birds opened my eyes to how phenomenally intelligent they are (parrots have the cognitive function of a five-year-old child) and the feeling of gaining their trust and love in unparalleled. They are not like dogs and do not trust easily. And fortunately there are tons of books written by people who see birds the same way and want to share the unique experience of cohabitating with birds and the intense emotional bond that can be forged with them.
One of my favourite books that leans heavy on the science side is Alex & Me by Dr. Irene Pepperberg. This book is an education about the cognitive abilities of parrots and the importance looking at the origins of intelligence and communication via our intelligent avian friends.
The cover of Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process by Dr. Irene Pepperberg.
On the squishier more emotional side, The Parrot Who Owns Me by Joanna Burger, is a touching and lovely account of the relationship building and love that can occur between species when we open our hearts and pay attention to what our feathered friends are telling us.
The cover for The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship by Joanna Burger.
And the book that gets me the most is Enslaved by Ducks by Bob Tarte. This one is hilarious and accurate in how once you start down the rescue path it is hard to stop. The love we get from the animals we share our life with is irreplaceable and vital. The comedy and antics they infuse into our lives is priceless and critical.
The cover for Enslaved by Ducks: How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order by Bob Tarte.
So, Happy Pet Bird Day! I hope you will celebrate with your non-human roommates and maybe even share your favourite book about the human/animal relationship with us <3
Now – I need to go feed the birds.
– Stacey
Find these books at your local Canadian indie bookseller!
