I have so many stories and adventures, I don't know where to begin. I will try. 20 years ago, I was just a babe in the woods so to speak when it came to owning birds. I say birds, because I didn't know one species from another back then. I didn't know the difference from a cockatiel or a macaw. Pretty sad huh! Well, I've come a long way baby let me tell you. Once I started, there was no stopping me. I was truly addicted to the world of parrots and everything that went with them. My first birds where cockatiels. My, they were so fascinating and funny to watch. They even talked. I became so smitten with all the many mutations (colors) that they could come in. Their feathers were soft and they smelled like baby powder. I had to have them ALL!!! I decided to breed them. All of them.....All kinds of mutations. I bought books and read them, went to bird shows and talked to breeders. It was at the shows that my addiction really took off!!! There were so many different kinds of birds and parrots. I was in BIRD HEAVEN at the shows. Always came home broke, but I always came home with a  " had to have that mutation bird " no matter what the cost. My bird collection grew faster than my space allowed. I had to start adopting out some of the birds. That is how I became a hobbiest breeder. I say hobbiest, because I never made any money at breeding and adopting out the birds. It was a labor of love. No money could ever compensate for the amout of time, effort and love that went into raising just one cockatiel. I began to show my cockatiels in bird shows. I won many ribbons, but that too was time consuming. I became the state co ordinator for the National Cockatiel Society for a while. I liked doing that also, I made many new friends along the way, some good, some not so good. I took in everything that I learned and weeded out the things that I found not to be true through experience. I wasn't done, My addiction grew stronger and my appitite for bird knowledge grew even more. I decided to move on to bigger birds.

Paradice, a yellow naped amazon was my first adopted bird. He was a trip then and still is today. I got him in 1996. He attached himself go my daughter who at

that time was just a teenager. They would sit on the couch when she got home from school and eat cereal together. He loved her so much that when I came home from work he would fly off the couch and chase me up the steps!!! Then came Rio. My girl!! She was just a baby, 6 weeks old. My what a little porcupine likeness she had. Her feathers just starting to come in. Her story is on another page of the website. Her story will bring you to tears. She is still My Girl. I love her so. Then came Yodie !!! The most amazing littel bird I have ever come across. Yodie thinks that all of the cockatiels are his, literally. He teaches them all to talk.

 

I was looking at the wild Nanday Cnure pictures and just had to
share my story.  I rescued a 4 week old baby Nanday Conure.  The tree
across the street fell down and there was a nest with 2 eggs and 3
babies.  2 of the babies were in very bad shape but one was good.  I
have had this birdie for 5 weeks now and Phoenix is such a WONDERFUL
bird.  I have checked with my local Humane Society and they have said it
was OK for me to keep this baby.  I have a Blue Quaker as well.  Love
the pics.  I wish I knew where that big nest was.  I live in St
Petersburg Florida