A year ago, the local bird club I am a member of started an Outreach Program. A number of members bring one or several of our parrots to schools, nursing homes, or other groups and talk about what it’s like to own a parrot. The highlight of these programs is when folks, who otherwise never had a pet let alone a bird, can hold and pet the birds.

One of my favorite pet birds to bring to these programs is Sapphire (see Sapphire Flies Away), a sky-blue clearwing budgie. Sapphire is two and a half years old, and has one of the most outgoing personalities for a bird. He absolutely loves people, particularly the attention. I have brought Ingrid (see Ingrid, A Rescued Umbrella Cockatoo) to several programs, however, she doesn’t do as well with other birds around as Sapphire does.

One of the most memorable programs took place a few months ago at a nursing home. After explaining the care Sapphire requires and what joys I receive from him, he glided to a woman sitting in her wheel chair in the corner. Sapphire must have instinctively known that this woman was virtually alone. She had no family and no visitors. While she had other adult companions, this woman did not have someone close to her.

Sapphire perched on this woman’s shoulder, chirping happily away. At first, she was rather surprised and even a little bit scared. After all, he was this tiny little fluff of feathers, and as thin as she was, was much larger than him. I came and sat down next to them, as she asked what he was doing. It was a bit hard for her to turn her head to see Sapphire on her shoulder. I explained to her that he was talking to her, in his own language. Sapphire hopped around on her shoulder for a while, happy as a clam.

What happened next was quite a surprise for the three of us. As Sapphire played and talked to this woman, he started to kiss her neck. At first, she got scared that he was trying to bite her. I suspect that this woman didn’t have the same sensations she did when she was younger. I had to explain to her that these were little budgie kisses.

A moment later, I looked at her face, as she sat in her wheelchair. Tears were slowly making their way down her cheeks. I asked her what was the matter, would she like me to remove Sapphire. No, she said, emotion clouding her voice. “No please leave him. It’s been so long since anyone kissed me.” The three of us sat in silence until it was time to go.

As a birdie mom, I was so proud of my little Sapphire that day. I talked to the activity director asking if Sapphire and I could come back to visit this dear woman. Unfortunately, before we came back, she passed on. Sapphire gave a wonderful gift to a lonely woman, a memory I can only hope she kept with her.

If you have never considered participating in outreach programs, please consider doing this. If your local bird club doesn’t have an outreach program, it is something to consider starting. At the very least, call a nearby assisted living center, people would love a visitor, even feathered visitors. Not only do you get the chance to educate the public on pet birds, but also you get the chance to brighten another persons life.

Bio:Chiara Petro, a SAHM of 3 boys and 16 birds, finches and parrots, is active in her local bird club. She is also the editor of WingTips, the newsletter of the PCF Bird Forum, a division of the Veterinary Information Network.