A Word from Michele
Dear Friends,
Birds are not the only things flying at Pandemonium Aviaries. Time also has wings. It seems as if one moment I am worrying about winter rains and the next I’m turning on cooling sprinklers.
Summer is truly a wonderful time to live with birds. Many of them are busy building nests. Thanks to a generous donation we were able to build a new, sunlit for our Mustache parrots. Within weeks they were in the nest box, starting their first family. Other birds need new homes. Please consider sponsoring an aviary for a year or building a new one that will be given the name of your choice.
The warm weather, long days and baby birds have brought a wonderful glowing energy to our facility. There is an equally life affirming aura inside the house. This year we have a bumper crop of 8 amazing interns!. They are energetic, optimistic and incredibly talented. Read about their backgrounds and projects in “Meet the Flock of Interns.”
We have a broad range of sanctuary programs. Some, such as a collaboration with the California Academy of Science to identify viruses in New Guinea birds, have a global focus. Others are inner directed such as our doing clicker training with exotic birds.
Please support our work. You can make a donation by check or by using the Donate tab on our website www.PandemoniumAviaries.org. If you want to honor or commemorate someone, let us know. We’ll tie a commemorative ribbon and raffia on an aviary for the birds to use in their nests.
May this summer bring you lasting joy,
Michele Raffin
Around 15 years ago, while staring out the window of my study in Los Altos Hills, I espied a bird who lit on a branch a couple of feet away. It’s not uncommon for birds to roost in the trees just outside my window, but in this case what was uncommon was that it was a toucan.
The toucan took off and flew to the top of a neighboring palm tree. I phoned the Humane Society to report the sighting. They told me I was one among several who’d witnessed this exotic visitor in the area, but no one knew how it got there.
I never saw the toucan again, but I continue to wonder about it. Were you aware of this visitation?
Curious,
-Noel