ALASKA BIRD NEWS JANUARY 2009 HAPPY NEW YEAR Kathleen O’Keefe—Editor Volume 20 Number 1 This Volume is FREE January 2009 Expect a Special Guest Bird and Speaker for this month Get Involved with your Club We are expecting a special guest and Help us organize the person she owns to talk with us special fun Fund about Therapy Birds. Raising functions Come in and join us at this month’s Talk about a Therapy meeting. Our birds are special to us Bird Program or and there are ways we can share them other educational with others. opportunities to showcase our vet On the adoption front, we have ac- tested birds cepted into our program two separate large groups of cockatiels due to the Here is a pair of them at the Wasilla foster health of the owners. home of Donna J When the first group came into the pro- gram they looked pretty beat up from their airplane ride into Anchorage from the remote village they had been raised in. The second group we don’t have any Gulliver & Sybil - current photos of but they are expected Decembers Bird of the to be available for adoption in another Month couple weeks. Bird of the Month - Come visit with a Therapy Bird Here is another photo of the birds at the Wasilla foster home of Donna J Presidents Perch - Kathleen O’Keefe Adopt-A-Bird Program - We are already filling up this year’s cal- Cindy W endar with birds of the month to be fea- How To Series tured at our meetings. AAV Report Association of Here is a tip, get your bird’s tested and Avian Veterinarians be ready for us to spring surprise Veterinarian Locations events in which to showcase your spe- cial bird or birds at future meetings or Lost/Found Rescue Program Here is one of them the day of their arrival for Amber O’Neill their short term stay at the foster home of Marta fun activities around Anchorage this M year. Advertising The Alaska Bird News is published by the Alaska Bird Club. Club Information The Alaska Bird Club, its members, and its directors are not re- sponsible for any claims, services, or information presented. The The Alaska Bird Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit incor- views and opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily porated in the State of Alaska. It meets the first Tuesday of every month at Serendipity Adult Day reflect those of the Alaska Bird News. Service in Anchorage. Meeting starts as 7:00pm. Permission for the reproduction of any article is granted to non- Location: 3550 East 20th Ave (off of Northern Lights for-profit organizations only, under the provision of the Alaska Blvd & Nichols St). Bird News and the author’s name are edited in full. The Alaska Bird Club PO Box 101825 Anchorage, AK 99510-1825 Phone: (907) 868-9070 No Newsletter? Need Extra Copies of the Newsletter? email: [email protected] Pick it up at any of the following locations: website: www.alaskabirdclub.org President: Kathleen O’Keefe 243-4675, e-mail: [email protected] All Creatures Veterinary Clinic North Star Animal Hospital President Emeritus: Leanna Rein Mi 7.4 Palmer-Wasilla Hwy 840 S Cobb St (Palmer) 868-7878, email: [email protected] 376-7930 907-746-7387 Vice President: Amber O’Neill Alaska Mill & Feed Palmer Veterinary Clinic 351-2762, e-mail: akamber @ak.net 1501 E 1st Ave Mike 39 Glenn Hwy Secretary: Kris Porter 745-3219 694-8520, email: [email protected] 276-6016 Treasurer: Ann Gilley Alaska Pet-ography Petco 441-1119, e-mail: [email protected] 9130 Elim St (on Abbot 8621 Old Seward Hwy Member-at-large: Karen Medkeff across from Fred Meyer) 365-5500 854-0014 868-1680 Pet Emergency e-mail: [email protected] Sergeant-at-arms: Garry Wallen Animal Food Warehouse Pet- 2320 E Dowling Rd e-mail: [email protected], Zoo 274-5636 Adopt-A-Bird Director: Cindy Welbourne Anchorage - 901 E Dimond Blvd The Animal House (907) 357-2513 (Wasilla), 344-2966 219 E International Airport Rd e-mail: [email protected] ER -12046 Business Blvd 561-7387 Adopt-A-Bird Co-Director: Kathleen O'Keefe 622-2966 The Pet Stop 243-4675 (Anchorage), Palmer - 10201 E Palmer-Wasilla 1921 W Dimond Blvd e-mail:[email protected] Hwy 746-0056 Publications Director: VACANT 522-1006 Wasilla - 1481 E Parks Hwy Seeking Volunteer VCA Alaska Pet Care Bird News Editor: Kathleen O’Keefe 357-7335 243-4675, email: [email protected] Chester Valley Veterinary 3900 Lake Otis Pkwy 562-7387 Membership Committee: Ann Gilley 1571 Muldoon Rd Webmaster: Garry Wallan 333-6591 VCA Alpine Animal Hospital e-mail: [email protected] College Village 12531 Old Seward Hwy Disaster & Emergency Preparedness 345-1515 Committee: Garry Wallan 2036 E Northern Lights Blvd e-mail: [email protected] 274-5623 VCA Eagle River Animal Hospitality Committee: Marta Muth Hillside Pet Clinic Hospital 336-2630 2101 Abbott Rd #1 11710 Business Blvd. e-mail: [email protected] 694-3800 Lost/Found-Rescue Committee: Amber 344-7913 VCA E Anch. Animal Hospital O’Neill cell: 351-2762 e-mail: [email protected] Northern Lights Veterinary & Laser Center Inc 2639 Boniface Pkwy 2002 W Benson Blvd 337-1561 276-2340 ALASKA BIRD NEWS JANUARY 2009 PAGE 2 President’s Perch - Kathleen O’Keefe educational branch of our club. To January 2009 - A New Beginning to are with any volunteer job, and I show others we can be a versatile a New Year know everyone will thank Jennifer S club. To enrich the lives of people for her many years as editor and and show them there are alternatives Greetings fellow members and any- director positions she has held with to caring for their birds even if they one reading this newsletter inter- TABC. She would like to sit back for have passed on and no family mem- ested in birds, or as crazy about awhile and just enjoy the meetings ber wants to or can deal with their life their flocks as many of us are. and other gatherings we hold in the long companion. course of a year, so if you would like I welcome in a New Year, and a new to volunteer for this position, please There are activities we could look into board to The Alaska Bird Club. come to any board meeting, or call participating at where we could abso- Some of these names will be familiar me and let us know of your interest. lutely showcase our birds and edu- to you, others we will absolutely en- I am anticipating and hoping for an cate people in proper care, feeding, joy getting to know. exciting new year. With any change health exams and training to allow in officers there often comes into the them to enjoy their bird companions. The following people were either the mix the personalities, hopes, dreams slowest people in the room when and expectations of each and every With our vet tested birds, we could nominations occurred, or raised their individual. The presidents position is seek out opportunities to interact with hands and told Leanna, who is now that of a team leader, a director, an the public. Currently we have a great our President Emeritus, they would innovator of new ideas and re- group of volunteers who dedicate one consider accepting nominations if visiting of old ones. day a month to sit at the three area their names were put forward. Pet Zoos and talk up the club, what I am already mulling over ideas of we do, encourage people to join and Kathleen O'Keefe - President how to increase public awareness of get involved, and sometimes they Amber O’Neill – Vice President our club and the assistance we offer take their own birds to spend the day Kris Porter – Secretary to owner’s, would be owner’s or po- with them. We have participated at Ann Gilley – Treasurer tential home breeders. (Who we ulti- Lousaac Library’s Reading Rendez- Garry Wallen – Sergeant at Arms mately discourage, but I believe we vous. Karen Medkeff – Member at Large should reach out equally to everyone who owns birds.) The time to get excited about our club We have our dedicated and won- is now! If you have ideas, sugges- derful Adopt-A-Bird director, Cindy Our goal as a club, our mission, is tions, event activities, are friends with Welbourne and our Hospitality mem- stated in every newsletter. Educa- teachers who would like to have a ber, Marta Muth; who also works at tion. Education carries many faces. bird visit their students, know of an operating the fund raising table at Look at any educational curriculum organization we could talk with, assist monthly meetings or other special and think about the variety of in toy making activities with other events. classes one takes while becoming groups (the girl scouts approached us educated. Whether it is your own and asked for just such assistance, to We are looking for a Publications student just embarking into the edu- make toys for birds), call us. We Director. This person is the one who cational cycle or an adult continuing want to hear from you. helps directly edit the newsletter and on to higher education, courses are proofs any advertisements before many and subjects offered are Let’s have an exciting year!!! sending them forward to the editor. varied. Oh, there are always the unwritten duties and responsibilities as there My personal hope, is to increase our TABC’s Mission Statement Board Meeting Info - The Alaska Bird Club’s mission is to promote re- Open to the public sponsible avian ownership through education and The Board meets the last Saturday of every when possible, to provide rescue and adoption ser- month at 12:00 PM vices for abandoned and unwanted birds in com- Denny’s on Northern Lights.