To my dearest babies,

Bongo, my first, I love you with all my heart. I love you helping me with meals and how you fly to my shoulder when you see me come in the room. You are my special little boy and nothing will change that! Please stop picking at your feathers, it is breaking my heart to see you do this to yourself.

Oliver, my second boy. You came to us near death and now you are independent and just a joy. I am sorry your wing is bad and you can not fly like the rest, but with daddy help you get to soar with the best of them! I love you!

Bubba, our third. You came to us because we were told your first family had an illness and couldn't give you the time you needed. Turns out you had your own medical issues that we are working through. You are such a winner in my eyes and with that, please stop calling me ptthhhh. You can say so many things, why not my name or even someone elses would be okay, but a fart noise as a name is embarrassing. I love!

Gabby, our fourth little gift. You despised me at first but have come to accept me as your transportation, thank you for that. I love how you help me with the dog dinners, if only you would understand that we don't mix the wet and dry food by tossing them on the floor, we like to keep the bowls on the counter and mix them with a spoon. Your creepy old man hello that your whisper in my ear when I am changing your cage papers has become second nature to us now but I remember the first few times you did that to me knocking me on my butt in fear, good times! Love you my Gabby goo!

Gus, the first of our U2's. Gus, Gus, Gus. What can I say to you. You pulled my heart strings when I heard you had been locked in your cage for years so you came here and hugged me and loved me like no other so I made the mistake of spoiling you by letting you out all the time and being on my shoulder when the times were right. After a lot of blood loss, we had to change that and now you won't accept I am doing this for your own good. Please stop the screaming, you are very loved and we would love to show that to you!

Cotay, STOP BITING ME PLEASE.

Lilly, I saw you years before your moved in and the day our eyes met, I fell in love with you. You are just so precious and good natured for a U2. I can do whatever I want to you and you take it in stride. Please stay on your stand and stop jumping off of it so you can stay with us in the big room and not have to go to your room. When you go to your room you scream and give me a blasting headache. I know you just want out to roam the floor and use my Chihuahua's a toss toys but for everyones safety we can't let that happen.

Koko, you came to us full of life and have proven to be one of the best older U2's I have met. You sing so bad it makes me smile. You dance like no one is looking but I am and I love every head spin you do!

Chacho, aka Albert. It took several months before you got to move in with us. From the moment you said "Albert's freaking out, Let Albert out" during the surrender, I knew we belonged together and I never even got to see your beautiful face. I know you didn't like the lady who took you and you proved that by doing your flying attacks on her so she called me up and told me to come get you. The first time I saw you, you let me pet you through that cage and hold your little stubby talon. On the ride home, we bonded more over a French fry. Now you try feeding me, I love that you love me. but please know your already processed food all over my face because I move my head around to keep it form going in my mouth, is a sweet gesture but ewww. Also, daddy loves you and you should really stop dive bombing him with the thought of killing him. When you learn to accept him, you will get to come out and play with the rest, but until then you have to stay in your room when the rest are out. You are my sunshine baby boy!

Today may be a hard day for you all as yet another may be moving in. Ixta is a sweet grey who has had a tough life. She watched her brother die after a macaw attack and then had to live in that same cage with the blood remnants, unable to come out for years. She pines for a change of life and we have offered it to her. She looks like all of you, featherless, so please welcome her into your flock as only a group like yourselves could do.

You are my band of misfits, and I love each of you with all of my heart!

Lisa

It was her idea that sparked this room...so like it or not .....that makes her the moderator!!! I know you will all be as happy with this new room! I know she will keep a close eye on it as needed.

Welcome to our team!

When you came into my life you were in the pet store of a friend as her personal bird and sort of store mascot. I was immediately drawn to you and would visit the store obstensivly to visit my friend but really to interact with you. I was curious, having never been close to any type of parrot, so I found a wonderful place called greyforums.net and started learning about you. Unfortunately the more I learned the more I realized you were not in an optimal circumstance in the store for you to thrive.

Long story short, my friend got sick and you ended up coming home with me. I was determined to improve your life and to expand your universe. Unfortunately, you weren't going with the program. You viewed everything new as a potential parrot killing device. Having your cage door left open turned you into a shaking mess : forget about actually coming outside! I bought you all the enrichment toys I read about here and they sat around collecting dust and birdy dander.

Well, it's been a long road, but how far we've come. You step up virtually every time I ask and accompany me around the house. You even climb out of your cage on your own sometimes to go on a 'walkabout'. You immediately check out new toys when I introduce them, even if only to beat the snot out of them. You talk up a storm even when I'm in the room with you, and sometimes in front of other people! You chill with one foot up, beak grinding, content as long as we're together.

My one big hope for you is that you learn what your wings are for and truly become the birdy you were meant to be. We have had a few occasions where I suspected your flights were on purpose, rather than in response to something startling you off your perch. I've even thought about buying you a little birdy brother or sister to model flying for you, but don't want to upset the delicate balance you me and the kitty have going here. I love you buddy and I'm glad you're in my life. <3

As I sit and type this with you sitting contentedly on my shoulder making beak chew noises, it is hard to imagine that a few hours ago, you were dive bombing and attacking dear husband and dear son. Last week when you landed on dear son's neck and bit him very hard, and then flew through the rooms to seek and destroy dear husband, your fan club just lost 2 members. And yes, it was wrong for the DH to shout, "g-dammit, f-ing a hole!" after you drew blood, but it is also not funny that you've decided that phrase is your daily mantra.

When I lovingly wake you each morning with a cheerful "Good Morning Kizzy!" and give you yummy veggies and nuts, please don't call me a "f-ing a-hole."

Love you,

Karen

Dear Dorian,

First, I love you and I'm so glad you live with me and the kitty cat. Having said that, I have a few things to say.

Why do you dunk all the yellow pellets from your seed mix. You don't eat them so I know you're not just trying to soften them up. Why don't you just toss them? I know you know how to toss food because, hello, have you seen your room?! You're making your water gross and I worry about it when I have to be away for the day knowing you don't have fresh water. You're supposed to be smart. Please cut it out.

Y'know how you like being on the desk? Y'know how you hate it when I pick you up and put you back in your home? Well, you have the power to stop that. When you hear me telling you you have bad desk manners, that's a clue that I'm about to run out of patience. Take the hint.

When you ask someone "Whatchadoing it's polite to wait for an answer. FYI

When I take you outside it's a good thing. The small cage is not your enemy. We live in Canada bud. Take your outdoor time when you can like the rest of us.

On a related note, I'm sorry you're scared when I have to put you in the small cage and take you in the scary car to the scary people who put you in a towel. Sometimes your beak and feets need someone to take care of them. Thank you for not holding a grudge against me when I have to do this. Also, when I go away to visit Toronto please don't bite the Shannon girl. She has your food. You're supposed to be smart dude.

Again, I love you lots. You don't have to prove you loves me by trying to feed me every morning. I'd rather have a good old fashioned scritching session, if that's ok with you.

Well, that's what I've got. You may now return to your random destruction and littering of our home.

Love,

Mommy

After writing my letters to my birds and telling them what I wished they could understand in English. I also read everyone's letters and thought, what a wonderful diary and history we are leaving for our birds, should they ever need care by someone else. It is an insight into their personalities and our relationships we have with them.

It is also a room we can come to to vent our frustrations regarding their most trying moments as we speak to them here. Mostly, I see this as a legacy we are leaving for our precious flock members and sharing with others makes it even more special.

I love seeing the different relationships we each have with our birds. We can learn so much from each other. Please feel free to write anything you care to on a regular basis here, good or bad. And may I suggest we all start a thread just for each of our birds that we can add to. It would be nice to have a place to follow each of our birds in a seperate thread, just an idea, not a must.

I look forward to seeing what this room will bring.....