AFA Goes to Parrot Festival

Abstract

Every year, the last full weekend in January, the National Parrot Rescue and Preservation Foundation (NPRPF) throw their annual festival, a huge parrot social, at the Doubletree Inn near the IAH airport in Houston, Texas. So every January snowbirds and sometimes even the birds they keep head south to be entertained and to learn more about the wide world of Aviculture. The festival is an all-inclusive gathering of pet owners, rescue and sanctuary owners, businesses, breeders, conservationists, veterinarians, food and cage manufacturers, pet store owners, and more. Toy makers abound and the raffie is a sight to behold, stretching over six or eight rows of tables throughout a giant hotel ballroom. This raffie is replenished daily at about 4 PM as the winners gather their loot and head back to their rooms. A three day raffie is located onsite as well. Larger items or items of greater value are placed on the three day raffie, but the tickets are all the same price at $1 each or 25 for $20.

The raffie may be the big draw for some, but for others it is the camaraderie and the chance to meet up with old friends, or to make new ones. For the vendors, it's a chance to put a face to the products we all see in the industry magazines or online, and a face to face chance to ask questions about them. Also present are folks who are actively involved with the conservation of many parrot species in the wild. That provides a very unique opportunity to ask the questions that have always plagued us about our birds. Between the behavior consultants, the product vendors, the nonprofit organizations, the conservation biologists, the veterinarians, enrichment specialists, and all the other aviculturists present, no one ever walks away from Parrot Festival feeling unsatisfied.

The APA has been attending Parrot Festival for the past five years. It is our chance to exchange ideas with the rescue folks and to talk to the many diverse specialists in aviculture; and there are many APA members in attendance who we can brainstorm with too. The APA Watchbird Journal has won several publication awards and is one of our common communication tools. All facets of the industry are invited to submit articles and advertise in this popular publication. So at Parrot Festival, when we meet someone who does something really interesting in aviculture or conservation, we try to solicit an article or two as well. All in all, Parrot Festival is a great place to "get some business done", or to pick up the APA tee shirt you missed, or the coffee mug with your favorite bird on it.

 So what did you miss this year by not attending Parrot Festival? Take a look at the list of featured speakers from this past festival for one: Matt Baird, Nyla Copp, Steve Duncan, Rebecca O'Connor, Barbara Heidenreich, Caroline Efstathion, Rick Weigel, Carlos Bonilla Ruz, Claudia Cinta Magallon, and April Blazich. If you had been there with the rest of us, you would have heard fascinating talks on the conservation of the Military Macaw in Mexico, use of insecticides around your birds, perfectly training the imperfect parrot, Australian aviculture, the wild parrots in Southern California, growing and gathering plants and seeds for you and your birds, undesirable sexual behavior in Kakapo, a brief history of parrots, and more. Some of the most important communication takes place face to face with the speakers, usually in the vendor hall or social rooms.

 

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