… Or the friend of a bird owner in need is a friend indeed.
Becoming a member of the ASCS Emergency Response Program or ERP can be rewarding and reciprocal. We are setting the program up by ZIP Code. I would also like to see friends or groups of members get together and learn about each others birds, this can be a great bonding experience for the birds and humans. I know that for about five years we have had this type of mutual relationship with Noelle Fontaine and it has been a life saver. We know the bird routines, their diet, and they’re used to being handled by all of us, which can be helpful with Blue & Gold and Military Macaws that aren’t always friendly or will step-up for other people they don’t know. But it does seem that they instinctively recognize a bird person, sometimes.
I have mentioned in several articles I’ve written about when one of us were in the hospital and Noelle would either pickup our birds and take them to her house if she had room, if not, she took care of them at our house. Then any time Noelle needs to go out of town or has a need for a place for Kharma or Signal they come to our house for however long is needed. This way the birds all know each other, in fact Kharma and Signal come over just about every day just to hang out with Bandit and Spazy in the second aviary out front, or in the second cage inside and spend the day with the boys while Noelle works. Some weekends the boys and Sweetie go to Noelle’s for a couple of days to play with the other birds.
Now I know what we do is beyond what most people will ever do, it does show what people can have if they really want it. There are different levels of involvement for a person and there are those that will need help in an emergency that never thought would happen and those that plan ahead and never have a problem, I call those people very lucky.
Emergencies come in all forms though, we often think on a personal basis of injury, illness or death in the family, but then nature can have a deal a nasty hand with wind, lightning, rain and flooding. Then of course there is the tragedy of fire that struck a member of this club, and other members have already dealt with. You see, one of the premises of a club is coming together for a common cause so we have comradely, a sense of belonging, so we aren’t alone. We are here for you, and while a lot of society may not understand our love and attraction for some of the loudest and hardest biting creatures since the dinosaurs, oh yeah, they are, but we’ll call them birds, we understand. I’ve had people tell me I’d like to do something but, I can’t make all the meetings, I work nights, I don’t do good with people and the list goes on, well here is the chance for everyone to get involved, we need people in all zip codes.
Step one, for everyone is take the time to write down the information someone else would need to know to take care of your birds the way you do, your Veterinarian information. Special information about your birds, what they like, don’t like, do they prefer men or women, do they step-up, do they nibble, bite or chomp, you get the idea. Emergency contact numbers, your cell phone, the Vet’s number and emergency number, other family or neighbors numbers. You could start with a form that’s used for babysitters for the kids to help with the organization.
Step two, I believe, should be to join the ASCS Emergency Response Program, of course for some of us health or other issues may limit what we can do, but we may still may be able to take in an additional bird for a few days in an emergency, so don’t be afraid to sign up, no one is expected to single handedly take on a hundred bird breeding operation. Of course, if there is a large collection of birds in need we hope to have more than enough members to take care of everyone.
Step three, one of the best steps in preplanning is to find an ERP MEMBER, or another ASCS Member or a qualified friend or family member. However, if your family is like mine, the only one that can handle my birds is my son Scott in Denver. Your birds will do better and you will fell more confident if you meet your emergency caretaker ahead of time. In addition, if you are the ERP MEMBER you’ll feel more comfortable if you meet the people and the birds you may be called on to care for.
Becoming a member of the ASCS Emergency Response Program, is easy, just email me at csteele@seedcrackers.org, call me (480) 326-6319, or talk to me or any of the Board members at any of the ASCS meetings. If you have any questions about the program, please email, call or talk to me at one of the meetings before you decide not to become a part of this program.
If you need assistance in an emergency, contact me or any of the ASCS Board members, phone numbers are listed inside the front cover of the monthly Newsletter.
So no matter how you look at it, whether you just sign up, or only contact us if you have a need, this is a program where the Seedcracker’s can really benefit it’s members and the members can benefit by getting to know each other even better. Our birds even have a better life because of our mutual care arrangement we have with Noelle. After all aren’t we all in this for the birds we love and we only want the best for them.
