AVIARY

We are currently not rehoming our domestic birds as we have plenty of suitable homes, we will of course let people know when we are rehoming again.

Each spring we recieve many stray budgerigars and cockatiels. We have also taken in a canary, a bengalese fich and a lovebird, none of which were claimed and they are all living happily together. We had also taken in a Senegal parrot and he and the lovebird have an aviary of their own and they have made friends which is particuarly nice for the parrot which had been caged alone for the entire two years of its life and is now unable to fly.

Many so called cage birds (a term I detest) never leave their tiny prisons and when thay are released into our aviary I love to see them fly up to the other birds. Caged birds cause me untold grief. It is a crime to deprive a bird of its freedom to fly. Here at Freshfields we cannot give them total freedom but it is a much better environment than many have been used to. So many face a life of solitude in their cages and most birds enjoy socialising with others of their own kind, human company is a poor substitute for that.

There are now seven aviaries at the shelter in Liverpool. Four of these house domestic birds such as budgies and cockatiels. The other three are for wild birds brought in to the shelter with injuries or because they are unable to fly. There is a small aviary with pond for water birds and another for large birds, such as owls or kestrels. Many of the domestic birds are brought in by their owners. Occasionally we are called by Social Services to help - as with the case of the 99 birds confiscated from a one bed-roomed flat in Liverpool! We managed to accommodate all of the cockatiels, budgerigars and finches which were flying loose around the flat, breeding indiscriminately. This type of animal hoarding is a common phenomenon to rescue centres and is a major problem.

Some of our birds have been with us for several years, like the Princess of Wales Parakeet whose brightly coloured plumage often attracts admiring looks from visitors and the pretty little stray canary who has outlived most of his companions in the aviary but who now mixes happily with the Parakeet and a number of other birds. Each spring, we receive many calls from the public regarding orphaned baby birds; in fact most are not but are simply learning to fly with the parent birds not far away. We advise people to leave well alone as often the trauma of removing a baby bird from its natural habitat, can cause stress, shock and often death. Lyn, our wildlife manageress, has successfully reared many baby birds. It is an arduous task and one that often ends in tears but she has done exceptionally well with the more hardy birds. If there is anyone who could help her during the busy spring months, she would be very pleased to hear from them.

Aviary homes are something we are always looking for. There are always birds in need of homes but our criteria must be met: a good sized aviary and companionship of other birds is a must. If you can offer such a home to one or several of our birds, please do not hesitate to contact us at the shelter. Your call will be welcomed, but please remember we will want to pay you a visit to see where you intend to keep the birds! See the note at the top of this page.