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What I do in my spare time

I have always loved birds, reptiles, dogs... in fact almost all creatures. Not the biggest fan of cats as most cat owners aren't aware of the damage these animals do while out at night. Admittedly some dogs are the same.

As a kid being raised in Randwick, Sydney, my highly educated and gentle father would bring baby and injured birds home. My father always walked, he didn't like driving after a near fatal accident (I was in the back seat and crawled out). He couldn't walk past an animal or bird in need. Thanks to my father, I inherited the same mindset and compassion and raised my kids to be the same.

Today on my humble bit of acreage in Western Sydney - all birds (I have a soft spot for the super intelligent Magpie), spiders, snakes, lizards, frogs are equally respected. With our ever increasing development, these animals are being displaced and finding their way into our yards and are at the mercy of dogs, cats, humans and the poisons we use to control rodents. My rodent control is Goodnature humane trap and some snappy mechanical traps set only at night. My chooks enjoy the protein the following morning! Anyone for mouse flavoured eggs?

My ability to help has advanced somewhat thanks to having a vet client who needed my IT skills. He would roll his eyes (and smile I'm sure) every time I brought in a magpie, lizard, snake, frogmouth, little butcher birds or something equally interesting. Dr Jim Gill and his wife Dr Marilyn Gill were the most amazing vet doctors I have known to date.

What inspired me to explore the world of parrots and lories both native and exotic? When I saw the beautiful parrots at Featherdale Wildlife Park many many years ago, I was in awe. Mesmerised. I quickly learned all about keeping and feeding these beautiful birds. Today I have many generations of these beautiful parrots and lories and know a lot about their personalities, general health and how to keep these birds happy and healthy. I make my own feeds and mixes and breed them only on a VERY small scale. They are incredibly intelligent creatures who live long lives for their size (if kept properly) and definitely deserve our respect.

Many years later I still continue to save what I can on our roads, and the guys who get delivered with no notice. I wish more people would make time for non-humans - our world is changing too quickly.