Abstract
Nestled in the verdant wooded and
fern covered foothills of the Cascades,
thirty-eight miles southeast of
Seattle, Washington in the village of
Kent, are the picturesque aviaries of
Joe and Marge Longo. The beautiful
surroundings provided by their 3 . 5
acre farm belie the consistently successful
production of a wide range of
species from psittacines to softbills in
impressive numbers.
While most breeders in colder
climes scurry for cover at the first
sign of icy weather, the Longos
merrily cater to their avian friends in
the great outdoors of the Northwest,
tromping along snow covered paths
in the heart of winter as easily as
through fields of wildflowers that
intermingle with the mosses and
ferns on a pleasant summer's day.
And the birds? Well , they do quite
nicely in their outdoor pens, offering
up a cornucopia of youngsters.
It all began for joe and Marge
twenty-four years ago with a pair of
Barbary doves and golden pheasants.
The pheasant collection quickly grew
to nineteen species, and along with
the collection arose an interest in
formal avicultural groups, of which
there were none in Washington focusing
on the Longos ' interests. What to
do? Why, form a club - so they
became some of the founding members
of the Washington Ornamental
Game Bird Breeders in 1965 . Joe
served the club as its president, while
Marge oversaw the duties of the club
bulletin as its editor.