i would always keep a dozen copies of it on hand to give to prospective parrot owners.

LOL - Maybe one day when I have the time (wishful thinking!). I am still trying to finish all the articles for the website... I just started working on a piece on diseases but I am not only going to list them by pathogen -bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic- I am also going to do a section on conditions (like thyroidism and hypo and hypervitaminosis and allergies -that kind of thing) and one that will list diseases and conditions by symptoms because I have found that this is the hardest for people. I mean, most people know some of the symptoms because they see the changes in the birds but have no idea what they all could mean so I think this is going to be extremely useful to bird guardians. Like if you know the bird has labored breathing and a nasal discharge, if you look under each of these symptoms separately and you see the same condition/disease listed under both of them and then you go to the description of the disease itself (they will be in alphabetical order) which might have even more symptoms listed there that the person did not even noticed, it would help people not only to know what the problem could be and whether it's necessary to take the bird to the vet on an emergency basis or if can wait a week or so for a normal appointment and even to mitigate or take care of the problem themselves. A good idea but it's very time-consuming because it requires a lot of research, cross-referencing and writing.

that sounds like a really amazing project! how long have you been researching birds?

I've always had birds. My grandmother was a widow who came to live with my parents before I was born and she loved them so I grew up with birds. There were birds in my house when I left to come to America and the first thing I did when I got here was buy a budgie. I handraised my first quaker when I was about ten and had my own purebred male Hartz Roller of champion bloodlines when I was thirteen. I've always had canaries and raised them for years (but I don't any more because you can't find good homes for them). Lately it was mostly Spanish Timbrados but I also had some Russian Singers, Waterslagger, American Singers, Red factors and even a kitchen or two... Then one day, about 17 years ago, I got my first parrot rescue, Pretty Bird, a red lored Amazon and I was pretty ignorant of what were her needs, I just did what every one else was doing at the time: keeping her on my schedule, feeding her seeds and junk (pizza, french fries, etc), regular lights, the works! Only thing was that I never clipped or caged her but that was not so much because I actually thought it through and figured it was better for her but because in my country nobody ever clips or cages parrots (or, at least, they didn't when I was growing up) so it never occurred to me to do it to her. And, once when I took her for a check up, her uric acid levels were pretty high (and no wonder with the crappy diet I was giving her!) and that's when I started doing research on diet and conditions and disease and anything that had to do with parrots and I haven't stopped since.

I have been blessed with a curiosity not satisfied until I find out everything there is to find out about whatever subject interests me at the time, a great memory, an even greater persistence (some people call it stubborness but I call it 'persistence' LOL) so I have collected a lot of information. Information which is my pleasure to share with others in an effort to help, in any way I can, to better the lives of captive birds.

amazing! well, you have definitely helped me out a ton, that's for sure. many people and birds will benefit from your determination. it's a great thing you have done and continue to do.