Education Event Aims To Prevent Parrot Homelessness

If Sunday at La Paloma Park in Menifee was any indication, parrot lovers who turn out for the July 23 Parrot Education and Adoption Center event at will get more information on big birds than they bargain for.

Nearly 25 birds were on hand at La Paloma as part of a Beak Squad social gathering, a club of avian lovers who come together to share experiences and learn from each other about the trials and tribulations of caring for big birds. They also work to find homes for unwanted birds.

Headed by Joni Shaffer and her husband Steve, Beak Squad is comprised mostly of “foster failures” – bird lovers who “temporarily” house homeless feathered friends only to fall in love and become permanent parents.

Shaffer said the July 23 event in Wildomar will offer education on proper care and training of big birds, so “there is harmony.”

“We try to intervene,” she said, noting that big birds are a handful. “People don’t always know what they’re getting into.”

Shaffer said many parrot species can live well past 80 years, and they don’t do well being moved from one home to the next.

“I’ve seen people buy these birds because they match the décor of their home, and then they get tired of them,” she said.

Shaffer doesn’t advocate breeding the birds because there are simply too many in captivity now.

Joyce Dodd, director of Murrieta-based Quail Ridge Parrot Rescue, was on hand Sunday. She said her nonprofit volunteer-based organization currently has over 85 birds, and that’s more than she’s seen since opening her doors 12 years ago. Although getting in over one’s head with a big bird is common, the U.S. economic downturn has compounded the problem of unwanted animals, Dodd said.

“I do think it’s the economy,” she said of the uptick in homeless birds. “People are losing their homes and relocating to apartments, where landlords don’t accept birds. I am getting calls from all over the country – people asking me if I can take their birds."

Sean Halbert and Dana Skelton operate Redlands-based Olive Branch Parrot Rescue. They were at the park Sunday with a few of their birds. The husband-and-wife team work and go to school, and currently oversee care for 11 big birds via a foster program they spearhead.

“We’re small on purpose,” Skelton said. “These birds need a lot of attention.”

Holding a balding female Blue and Gold Macaw named Captain, Skelton explained that the bird got ill while living with a previous owner and plucked her own feathers.

“They do that when they get sick (self mutilate),” Skelton said.

Large birds are definitely not for everyone.

“Imagine keeping a 3-year-old child in a playpen alone all day. What do you think the child would be like when you get home at 5?” Shaffer said. “That’s what these birds are like if you don’t give them proper attention, nutrition and a nurturing environment. They will scream, throw things, make a mess …”

Holding his large Blue and Gold Macaw named Bob, Murrieta resident Jim Cozzi, explained that although the big birds are found in the wild, they can’t be released back into it.

“They would not survive,” he said, explaining that the stress would take its toll. “They self mutilate and even do suicide dives like kamikazes."

Cozzi said the birds need companions and, contrary to popular belief, can be very affectionate. (Watch the attached video of Jim and his Blue and Gold Macaw named Bob.)

Jelly Bean, a 10-year-old female Umbrella Cockatoo, who was rescued after she was found loose in Murrieta, clung to her “foster failure” mom Cathy Cregar at the park on Sunday.

As Cregar regaled Jelly Bean’s antics – “she giggles and laughs, and when it’s time for bed she says, ‘Night, night sweet Jelly” – the medium-sized white bird with yellow feathers under her wings snuggled against her caretaker’s neck.

“She’s like a dog – very sweet,” Cregar said.

And it’s just that type of behavior that Barbara Crouse, who will teach the July 23 workshop in Wildomar, hopes bird lovers can learn to instill in their own animals.

Crouse, who dropped in on the Beak Squad gathering Sunday, said she is planning to teach two one-hour sessions next weekend. The first will focus on finding the right bird and the second will be on training. For more information, about the Parrot Education and Adoption Center event in Wildomar, click here.