Birds of a Feather Parrot Rescue holds fundraiser at Inez Park

A local parrot rescue held its annual Fall Fun Festival at Inez Park near Uptown on Saturday, where members of the nonprofit spent the day fundraising and educating the public on parrot care.

Birds of a Feather is the only nonprofit in New Mexico for exotic parrots. Dorothy Newbill is the founder of the organization, which currently has 86 birds that Newbill has taken under her wing.

“We depend on fundraising, we depend on donations, we depend on the public to help us,” she said.

Newbill and her husband run the nonprofit out of their home, where many of the 86 birds reside. Several times a year, the volunteers at the nonprofit partner with local businesses to hold events.

Yvonne Patino is the volunteer event coordinator for Birds of a Feather. She reaches out to local businesses, including breweries and event spaces, to collaborate.

Saturday’s event consisted of a food truck from Nena’s Food, which donated $1 for every plate sold. A bird toy supplier also visited from Arizona to sell handmade bird-safe products.

“We’re constantly on the go, working together to try to find places that would host an event,” Patino said. “It helps a lot to get our name out.”

There are about 50 people involved with the nonprofit, Newbill said. This includes volunteers who visit the rescue to help feed, maintain and socialize the birds. Several of the volunteers, including Patino, have birds of their own.

Dominique Rodriguez is the volunteer director, who adopted a macaw before hearing about Birds of a Feather three years ago.

She did research before adopting the bird, but after bringing him home, she realized she still needed help caring for her new feathered friend.

She attended a Birds of a Feather fundraiser, where she met Newbill.

“I started volunteering, and I learned so much about how to better take care of my bird,” Rodriguez said. “It’s been a huge help.”

Newbill emphasized the importance of education when it comes to adopting a bird. Some pet stores say that parakeets live for 5 years, she said, but she has seen them live up to 30.

She estimated that the oldest parrot currently at Birds of a Feather is upwards of 70 years old.

Many of the birds are surrendered to the rescue by older owners who adopted birds when they were young, and have since become unable to take care of them.

“They expect family members to take care of them, and they don’t want them. And that’s just the hard truth,” Newbill said. “So they look for rescues to come and pick them up.”

Luckily, the volunteers are happy to help. They educate the public during the fundraising events, and Rodriguez said she enjoys the community aspect of volunteering.

“I’ve gotten to make wonderful friends here, and I really have a community of people who are working to help,” Rodriguez said. “I think it’s just as good for the people.”