There are two things I am most excited about in life now. One is learning more about conservation and species preservation, and the other is sharing those things I've learned. In this newsletter I would like to share what I've learned on recent trips to South America.

In 1990 I visited Central America and then in 1991 Africa. The purpose of these trips was to look into importing birds. It didn't take me long to realize it was the wrong plan. It was difficult to see how the birds were captured and treated prior, during and after importation. Even though I was interested in obtaining birds for breeding, having witnessed what I did, I chose not to. I decided then and there that there were enough birds already in captivity to choose from. There were so many unwanted, unhappy birds that would benefit from our care and kind treatment. It gave me great pleasure to buy and rescue birds from private parties that had developed bad behaviors due to the lack of caring in their homes. Many were given up due to pregnancies, divorces, undesirable behaviors, and losses of their owners. I learned so much from these experiences and gained a tremendous respect for these birds and what they were going through.

My focus now is on conservation. It's vital that our children and grandchildren can enjoy these beautiful parrots for years to come. A few years ago I went to Peru to see parrots in the wild. I saw many species of macaws, amazons and pionus. I saw caiques, conures, and other rare parrots all living in their natural habitat. Recently my wife Carolyn and I visited Brazil where we saw Hyacinths, Lears macaws, Green-wings, Blue and Golds, Mini macaws, amazons, conures, toucans and Quaker parakeets. We were lucky enough to see Spix macaws in a captive breeding program. Sadly there are no remaining survivors of Spix macaws in the wild.

Having seen for myself the way these birds live in their natural surroundings, I can honestly conclude that our pet birds don't have it that bad. It is a tough life out there in the rainforest. The wild birds are always looking for food, while watching out for predators. During breeding season, most of the time is spent searching for nest sites and competing for them with other birds such as aggressive toucans and birds of prey. There is even competition from the smaller anteaters and bees. When looking in a nest one afternoon, we were expecting to see a baby Hyacinth; instead we saw an anteater with a baby in the nest. It really startled all of us. Never did I imagine that! But the biggest predators to these birds are humans. In Brazil, if it's not poaching, it's the agricultural burning.

Every time we were flying over the Pantanal, going to and from nesting sites, we were sure to see at least one fire burning. Hundreds of acres of nesting areas and feeding grounds are lost daily. This is devastating for these birds not to mention the other wildlife that call this place home. The burning is deliberate in order to make more room for grazing cattle. It was difficult to observe how things are going there. Unless changes are made, I don't see much hope for Brazil's abundant wildlife or threatened species.

In the areas we visited, there is usually enough food for the parrots. They eat what is seasonably available such as fruits, seeds, bark, nuts, clay or whatever they can get their beaks on. Previously, the clay was thought to be consumed due to possibly eating toxic non- ripened fruit. The newest information is that they eat clay for the necessary salt that is missing from the plant life in these areas of Peru. I believe they also eat many insects for the protein needed for feeding growing babies. In Brazil, during the droughts in the hot summer months, we see just how clever these birds really are. I watched as a group of Hyacinth macaws cracked some un-ripened nuts. They cleverly lifted the nuts over their heads and let the juice inside drain into their mouths. That was amazing to see. One bird drank from about 15 nuts!

The babies seem to stay with their parents much longer than I ever suspected. I saw Green-wings in Peru and Hyacinths in Brazil that had full-length tails (meaning they were a minimum of 6 months old) still following the parents around begging to be fed. They stay with the parents usually over a year learning all they'll need to know to one day survive on their own. The babies are easy to recognize because they are the last ones to take flight. They pester the parents, twitching their wings and fluffing up in that pitiful, please feed me stance just like in captivity. It is nice to see that the parents don't rush them to wean. I had always believed that they weaned more quickly in the wild than in captivity. I now know this is not true.

A closer look at the birds in the wild reveal that the majority are beautiful and healthy looking, but many show such things as stress lines on the feathers, some feather picking (but rare), insect larvae attached to skin areas, feather mites, and a lack of color on the plumage. Some also appear thinner than do their domestic relatives. It is hard out there for them and they need our help. Conservation is the way to continue the growth of the birds in the wild. Importation is no longer allowed for these parrots in the U.S. and Europe so this has helped. Eco-tourism is an important part of conservation. Instead of deforestation, trapping and smuggling birds for the pet trade, the forests and birds are now the main attraction- bringing people; money and much need attention to this worthy cause.

We can help here at home too. It is imperative that good animal husbandry methods are put into practice with regards to the birds that we keep as companions. We have to make sure that unwanted birds are given to the proper homes where some can be allowed to breed. This will not only accomplish a supply of birds for us to enjoy and love, but will also stop the trapping and smuggling that still occurs by people that can not get certain birds in captivity. Those birds are here- some in small cages virtually ignored, neglected or abused due to undesirable behaviors. Wouldn't these birds be happier in a large flight cage with a mate, toys, nest box, proper food and room to just be themselves? These exquisite creatures deserve our love, respect and compassion whether living here with us, or in their natural habitat.

We would be very interested in hearing from any of you who have taken an Eco-trip or traveled to a place where you have enjoyed parrots in their natural environment. Most of all if there is anything you learned about their behavior while in the wild. Please email us your stories and photos for publication in upcoming newsletters.