This cherished bird's name is Rosie. She recently passed away from many complications associated with chronic egg laying.  She started to become paralyzed and suffered what is believed to be a stroke. Rosie was loved unconditionally for 9 years. Cindy Sue gave this tribute to her beloved angel. "As an only child, Rosie was my best friend. She was an extremely affectionate bird. If you kissed her she would kiss you back by gently pecking at your cheek.  She loved to pull and nibble at my earrings when she was on my shoulder or snuggle by pressing her wing against my neck. On Saturday mornings I would sleep late and  she would fly over to me and fall asleep on my pillow or arm. She followed me everywhere. If I put her on the ground she walked alongside of me. If I went into a different room  she had to come along on my shoulder. Rosie always joined us at the dinner table and ate on her own tiny plate. She ate a variety of foods including rice, spaghetti, spinach and corn. She loved ice cream and would lap it up with her little tongue. Rosie never bit anyone. She was very tame and would let you cover her whole body with your hands. Rosie’s favorite thing to do was try to sing while I played the piano. Every time I started playing she would listen intently and try to mimic the sounds. I have so many fragmented memories of Rosie. She was part of my family and I loved her so much. My heart is broken."

Many of you know our dear Juanita, the guardian angel of our message board. She FINALLY sent us a picture of her cherished Cara. Juanita said, "Cara came to us at three months of age. At first we brought home Katie, Cara's clutch mate. She died within the first week. We were totally devastated and called the breeder who was equally devastated. She insisted we come choose another bird. We went with very sad hearts. Cara chose us. We took her home and I went into a "Research frenzy" so that we would not lose Cara. She got sick off and on for several months. The vet treated her with antibiotics but then she would get sick again. Finally I demanded that Cara be tested for psittacosis. The test was not conclusive but the vet, with our urging, started Cara on doxycycline for 45 days. After that treatment Cara never became sick again. That is why I try so hard to help educate others about their birds. Had we been informed when Katie came to us, we might have been able to save her life. Cara is highly intelligent, has a huge vocabulary, cognitive recognition and is the love of our lives. Our love for Cara led us to add to our flock. Today with my two rescues, our flock numbers five. They are all loved and adored."

Rebecca rescued this beautiful bird just in time before he was to be put to sleep. His name is Free Fall and he is a disabled bird. She has made the most wonderful adaptations for his cage, building special perches, ramps and lining the cage with foam rubber to protect him from injury. Rebecca said, "The pet shop owner was taking him to be put down when I was in the shop buying a hermit crab food for my son. The owner claimed that nobody would want him since he was a cripple. I told him that unless he wanted me to picket outside his shop he had better hand over the bird! So my little Free Fall was the beginning of my love of birds. He won my heart. I currently have five birds in my care, a pair of tiels, a pair of parakeets and an african grey. All were strays except for my female tiel. I never thought I could love a bird but there is something so personal about a relationship with them. I can babble for hours about my babies."

This beautiful bird's name is Pepi and he belongs to Claire. Pepi has recently celebrated his six month birthday. Claire said, "Although I grew up on a farm with birds, I had never experienced the pleasure of having a bird for a friend. Pepi's breeder offered to bring him to me to see. His name then was Grubby and he arrived with a few bare patches and formula that had adhered to his chest. Hence the name! With the help of the my avian vet and a HUGE amount of research, we both made it through the first months. Pepi loves taking a shower with me, washing the dishes, vacuuming, eating whatever I'm eating. He also loves chewing on whatever I'm reading, chewing everything to pieces. My friends all think I'm mad because I love him so much and treat him like a baby. Here's to many more years of madness and Pepi fun!"

Andrea sent this photo of her beautiful mini macaw Alex. She said, "I first met Alex at a bird expo. I was there to buy an amazon, but these 2 little green birds kept catching my eye. Finally I had to go see them and the lady introduced me to my first mini macaw. After about two hours of trying to convince myself I was not there for a macaw, I was the proud owner of Alex, 3 months old and more cuddly than a teddy bear. I fell in LOVE. His favorite pastime was (and still is) sitting on my shoulder, fluffed up, mumbling, and sucking on my ear lobe. How could one not love that? Alex turned 3 years old Sept. 17th of 2003. Although he's a bit more moody and a little more grown up, he's still my baby. He loves playing outside in the hose and helping me type on the computer. His favorite foods are graham crackers although fresh grapes fall right behind. He's super smart and knows around 30 words, several complete with meanings. He's smart, funny, stubborn, moody and so special. He's one of my best friends and he has taught me so much. One day we'll understand each other fully but for now we'll just stay the best of friends."

Jim is also a frequent helper at our message board. He sent us this picture of his darling Sami, a male gray cockatiel. Sami and his mate Lucky recently raised a clutch of babies. Jim said, "The babies are all fully grown, young cockatiels now and we love them all. I make all of their toys to play with and chew up and boy do they chew them up. I've  made many perches in different styles and sizes so they don't get pressure sores on their little feet. I also made bird safe swings and have them hanging all over the house in doorways. I even put swings in the camper for when the birds go camping with us. They love the trips and mimic all of the wild birds. Sami can do a blue jay, a whippoorwill and a smoke alarm. We are so happy to have these birds and really enjoy their company." ***You can see Halloween Sami on our Bird Puzzles page. Please take a look at how this little guy is all decked out for Halloween!! You will find it on our main index page.