- [Announcer] Funding for "Georgia Outdoors," has been made possible in part by The Imlay Foundation, and from viewers like you.

(upbeat tropical music) (upbeat tropical music) - Well, I never thought I would be doing a show about parrots in Georgia.

But, here we are.

Say "Hello," Leo.

There are more than 250 parrots at the Feathered Friends Sanctuary in Harlem, Georgia.

(gentle music) Harlem is just west of Augusta, and attracts fans of the "Laurel and Hardy" show.

(gentle music) Oliver Hardy was born here.

It's also home to 13 acres of land set aside for abandoned, confiscated birds or parrots living here because their owners could no longer handle them.

(gentle music) Bob Courtwright has been a volunteer here for 20 years.

(gentle music) - Duke is here, because his owners couldn't care for him.

A lot of people that really love their birds, when they get to a point because of work, or health, or something, they can't spend the time, as though they want them here, where they have a nice life.

And he lives outside, and he's got heat in the winter in there, and shade in the summer.

- What are you trying to tell me.

- [Duke] Thirsty.

Thirsty.

- [Bob] Thirsty, Duke?

(Sharon chuckles) You thirsty?

- [Sharon] he just told me.

- Okay.

- [Sharon] He just told me two times.

(gentle music) - [Duke] Thirsty.

- [Bob] Thirsty?

Should we get a drink?

Do you want a drink?

He just went and got a drink.

- [Duke] Thirsty.

- [Bob] Yep, get your drink.

- You want a peanut?

- [Bob] Take it right over, let him get on his perch.

- You want a peanut?

There you go, got it?

Oh, boy!

Using that tongue to get the peanut out.

Is that good?

- [Bob] The beak can crack walnuts open.

- [Sharon] I know, that beak could probably take my finger off.

(Duke crunching and screeching) - [Bob] Quack, quack, quack.

- [Sharon] Good?

- [Bob] Whoops.

He's back on it.

(birds screeching) (Bob whistling) (gentle music) - [Duke] Hello.

(gentle music) - [Sharon] Ron Johnson founded this refuge after he joined the marines in 1967.

And had a tough time finding someone to care for his parrots.

When he got out of the military, he made it his mission to make sure parrots have a place to go, now for more than 22 years.

(gentle music) - Tell me what kind of people bring you birds.

- (deep sigh) People that continually get bitten.

People that get tired of the noise.

People get tired of them eating their house.

The past three years, we're getting a lot of birds from seniors that their kids don't want 'em.

So they're coming here, and in a sense they become my responsibility.

But it's that trend starting to come into effect.

And then, we have 'em, like we've always had pop in.

We've gone out to dinner and came back, and there's been a cage in the middle of the night left somewhere on the front porch in 20 degree weather that says "Maybe you can take care of him "better than we could."

- [Sharon] Oh, man.

- [Ron] We found a pair of birds at a trash dump at the landfill.

My step-son, he goes "Ron, I hear birds."

Walk around the corner, there's two birds in a cage at the landfill.

With food and water!

(Ron chuckling) So, you never really know what's gonna pop up.

- [Sharon] What made you care so much about these birds?

What is it about parrots that you love?

- [Ron] Their nature.

The fact that nobody understands them.

They're a whole lot smarter than anybody gives them credit for.

I had one bird that actually sensed cancer in a lady before it was actually diagnosed.

- [Sharon] Oh my goodness.

- The bird kept biting on her chest.

And she eventually noticed a lump.

- Wow.

- We have one macaw that the lady is wheelchair-bound.

If she drops anything, he climbs down, picks it up and brings it to here.

(Sharon gasping) So, we've got all kinds of cases where the bird in reality is smarter than some humans.

(gentle music) - [Sharon] Bob brought out some birds to show me how different their personalities can be.

- Leo.

- Yes, Leo.

- Yes, I said your name.

Leo, you are beautiful.

Yes, you are.

You are beautiful, beautiful bird.

Are you glad you're here?

Who are you looking at?

Huh?

- [Bob] Right at the hat.

Some of them have issues with hats, it's kind of funny.

And when they do that, when they're sitting on your arm, and they start grooming, that's a sign of comfort.

- [Sharon] Aw, that's good.

I'm glad you're comfortable.

(gentle music) You're beautiful, you know that?

You're very pretty, very pretty.

And I'm glad you're comfortable.

He's heavy.

(Bob chucking) - [Bob] I was just gonna say, that's your gym workout for the day.

- [Sharon] Yeah.

- [Bob] Yeah, he's one of the heaviest birds we have here.

- [Sharon] Does that mean you're feeding... Now, she's tasting me again.

- [Bob] He eats well.

Just watch that button.

The shirt buttons are the next target.

- Yes, you're pretty, yes, you're pretty.

- There we go!

(laughing) - Going after my button.

(Bob laughing) - That's exactly what...You're sneaky, too.

I thought you were comfortable and grooming- - Give me kisses.

- And you want my button.

- This Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo named Dabu, was the opposite of Leo.

She did not like me at all.

I think people are intrigued by birds.

Like, tell me about this species.

(soft music) - What you, what?

Watching?

Give me a kiss.

(smacky kiss) Thank you.

Cockatoos are pretty close to humans.

They have our same emotions.

They laugh.

Some of them get jokes before some of the people.

The males tend to talk more than the females.

And they're highly intelligent.

Aren't you?

(smacky kiss) What you're seeing now, see I'm her boyfriend.

And when she sees a pretty girl, that brown eye, did you see that?

Right between us.

She just let's you know what your boundaries are.

- That is exactly what she did (Bob chuckling) - Huh?

Didn't ya?

You being a good girl?

Thanks for the kiss.

- [Sharon] Bobo, are you afraid I'm gonna take Bob away?

- She'll watch 'ya.

And the funny part is when I take her to events, she knew people, women, that I knew, friends of mine, and stuff, and they were fine, they'd come up, give me a hug, she was fine.

A stranger come up, mmh-mm, that head would go right there.

- [Sharon] Oh, she does not want me here.

- Watch her.

- [Sharon] Are you jealous?

- You're a good girl, huh?

Are you a good girl?

Oh, yeah.

This is mild, she's at some point, when she was really agile, she'd climb right around and just look at you in the eye like this.

"What do you think you're going with me man?"

(gentle music) - [Sharon] Leo liked me.

Boo didn't even wanna come over.

But as long as she was with Bob.

- Now you see how the feathers are up alongside of her beak?

Fluffing chops, that means she's very happy and very content.

There's a nice kiss, thank you.

(smacky kiss) - [Sharon] Yep, they- - [Bob] She's just right where she wants to be right now.

Outside, the breeze, sitting on somebody's shoulder.

- Sharon And she's not gonna fly away?

- [Bob] No.

(gentle music) - [Sharon] The last bird I handled taught me another lesson.

A lot of parrots have a thing for jewelry.

They are fast as lightening, and they have very sharp beaks.

- You wanna grab here?

She's ready to...

There you go, Boo Boo, that's a good girl.

Got 'em, okay.

- Do you wanna try this one?

- [Bob] Yeah, come here, K.T.. Come on, baby.

High, sweetheart.

This is K.T.. - [Sharon] Hi, K.T.!

- And she's actually a supported resident.

Her owner could not keep her because of different reasons.

So she lives here, and she gets a check every month.

I don't have any, sweetie.

That's her symbol, she wants a treat.

She likes those little sweetie sugar candies.

- [Sharon] Yeah?

- That's her symbol, for "I want one of the candies."

- [Sharon] Yeah, she's doing it over and over, too.

- She said "You're company, "you should of brought me a treat."

- [Sharon] Had I only known.

You're beautiful.

Now, what is this bird?

- She's a macaw.

(smacky kisses) Yeah, she- [Sharon] This is funny, she's determined.

- We'll tell her where Walmart is, and she can bring you some tomorrow.

(Bob chuckling) Yeah, she's a sweetheart.

Hi, baby girl.

Give me some snuggles.

(smacky kiss) Can I have some kisses?

Now this is a thing that when you've have the trust of the bird that you can do this.

- [Sharon] But I could not do that, she'd chop me.

- Well, she's pretty friendly.

But a lot of people assume, we go back to this, so they go and buy a bird.

We preach adoption, not purchase.

If you come to adopt a bird, like this, you would get training with the bird.

You would spend time with the bird.

We like potential adoptive families to come out here, volunteer for a couple of times, a couple of weekends.

Learn the birds.

Because our rule is, the bird has to pick you.

- [Sharon] There are 19 species of macaws.

And the international pet trade, has had a negative impact on their populations.

Poachers steal baby hatchlings from their nests.

And some parrots are hunted simply to get those beautiful feathers.

- They're really, they're fascinating little creatures.

You wanna step up?

- Will he do it?

- Now just take your other hand, and put it right over here.

- Whoa!

Whoa!

No.

Okay.

- It was the rings.

- Ah, I'm sorry.

- She wanted the rings.

- How are you?

- Here, sweetheart.

You gonna sit there like that?

You gonna be a good girl?

- How are you?

Hm?

You want a treat?

I'm so sorry.

You're a pretty, pretty bird.

Yes, you are.

- [Bob] Come on- - [Sharon] Bob takes K.T.

back, because he can see what I have yet to notice.

I'm bleeding.

Just want to demonstrate for our audience that I do take injuries for this show.

- Took one for the team.

- Took one for the team.

But she liked me once she got on my arm.

- Oh yeah, yeah.

- [Sharon] Regardless, it was wonderful to be that close to such a stunning bird.

Look at that face.

If anything might convince someone that there is a higher being, it may be the markings on these incredible birds.

Unfortunately, about one-third of the close to 400 different parrot species are threatened with extinction.

Agriculture, and deforestation are the main threat.

Australia, the Amazon, and the island of New Guinea are conservation hot spots.

It makes this sanctuary more meaningful.

At one time they had about 1,500 birds.

Over time, they have found forever homes for 1,000 parrots.

But they are particular about how the adoptions are handled.

How do you adopt them out?

How do you find people who want a bird?

And you won't just give them to anybody.

- No.

Yo!

Come here.

We turn people inside-out.

Literally.

And then, when we get to the point of adoption, it's as much gut instinct as it is paperwork.

Danielle has become, come here, dear.

You know, my sister-in-law, I love her to death.

Sometimes I wanna wring her neck.

- Of course.

- But she has become like her/us, our adoption person.

She has adopted what my policies were when she got here.

And she's added to them.

We've had looked at people and said, "You might as well keep on going, "we're not gonna adopt you a bird."

We get an application, and the guy is 65 years old.

Okay, you're talking about a bird, okay, Duke, he's already 60 years old.

So, she uses her judgment, and the age of the person, versus if we have a bird that will fit them.

And, she requires a minimum of X number of hours.

We call it community service.

We call it bleeding.

People go "Well, how do you know the bird is gonna like me?

You stick your hand in the cage, if it doesn't bite you, you've got a good beginning.

(both chuckling) Really.

If it bites you, you just close the door and go to the next one.

So, it's been a long process.

We have, my niece does rehab, Michael does rehab on birds that we get in that are semi-friendly.

We try to turn them around before they're adopted.

So, it's not a, okay here, give me your money and take a bird.

(gentle music) - [Sharon] The sanctuary runs on donations and volunteers.

It was tough during COVID, because school groups stopped coming out.

Then, Ron had an accident that forces him to use oxygen.

So he's given responsibility for the day-to-day operation to his nephew, Michael Johnson.

- [Sharon] This is in your family, right?

(bird squawking) - It is.

I've been doing it for 16 years.

I've been out since I was roughly eight years old.

My uncle has been doing it for about 30 years.

- [Sharon] What is it about birds that has your family so entranced?

- Honestly, it's just how different they are from anything else.

They're the most interesting creatures I have ever met.

It's about like a five-year-old kid.

They got the brain.

They'll see like a key, and be amazed with it for hours.

Whereas a dog, they just do what they say.

Birds are more like a cat.

(bird squawking) They'll look at you and say "I'm not gonna do that."

Or, "Okay, I'll do it."

They're great companions, they're great, they're very social animals.

And they're just, I mean, just so interesting.

- [Sharon] Tell me about Rambo.

- Rambo is a blue and gold macaw.

She is roughly 30 years old.

With her previous owner, she had both of her wings broken at one time, they never healed correctly.

(Rambo squawking) And since I've had her, I've actually taught her how to fly again.

Before that, she wouldn't even spread her wings.

Now she can actually fly and get lift, and go wherever she prefers.

If you look on her wing, it's deformed.

It never healed right.

The way it's supposed to be is flush down, but hers sticks out.

(Rambo squawking) - [Sharon] So, you're in your 20s, right?

- Yes.

(bird squawking) - Sharon Is Rambo going to outlive you?

- Most likely.

(bird squawking) With the health that she's in right now, she will most likely outlive me.

Macaws can live anywhere from 60 to 80 years old typically.

Most of the time, they live a lot longer than 80.

- [Sharon] To play with a macaw that Michael does with his, you have to spend a lot of time with it.

As someone said, "If you just want a pretty bird in a cage, "get a stuffed animal."

(gentle music) - Snuggle bird.

(smacky kisses) Snuggle bird.

(smacky kiss) - [Sharon] Oscar is one reason that everyone at this sanctuary advises people to get a parrot for the right reason.

If things don't work out, they can be abused.

Oscar is your baby.

- Yep.

- And people are gonna look at Oscar and go "Where are his feathers?"

Is this an example of, you didn't abuse the bird, but what happened?

Bob found out about a person neglecting Oscar.

- I said "I'm coming to pick Oscar up."

And this individual put Oscar in a cage, and through it out the door, cage, bird, feeders, and everything.

He was totally naked.

The only thing was feathers, was what's under my hand.

Everything else looked like he was ready for a roasting pan.

He was that abused.

When they get abused, they get stressed, they pluck.

And it did so much damage, that all the follicles are gone on his back.

And his stomach, he grows some feathers in, and they're fragile, and they break.

(Oscar humming) - What?

- Hi.

(smacky kiss) When I pick him up, I just let him run in the house.

He was terrified of everything.

I couldn't get within six feet of him, he'd just run and hide.

So I just set his cage up in the kitchen.

Had food and water all the time, and I started gradually every night, I'd lay down on the floor and talk to him, and kind of inch a little bit closer.

And it took about four or five months before I could actually touch him, and get him to- - Oh, goodness.

- To restore his confidence and his trust in me.

They dream.

- What?

- Yeah.

He used to sleep in the bathtub, in the center guest bathroom, because it was the middle of the house, it was dark and it was quiet, and he had a perch in there.

And about two o'clock one morning I hear him crying.

(Oscar humming) - Yeah.

- It's your story.

And I go in there, and he's sound asleep.

He's got his head under his wing, but he's crying, going "No, no, no."

So I woke him up, and I picked him up.

And I said "What's the matter."

And he goes "Snuggle bird, snuggle bird."

So I go, "Okay, I gotcha."

He ended up sleeping with me all night, because he wouldn't let go.

So he had some terrifying dream about his past life.

- Who would throw you out on a crate, huh?

- He's a good kisser, (smacky kiss) when he wants to.

- [Sharon] This is what a eclectus parrot is supposed to look like.

But even after the abuse, this now one very, very spoiled bird.

With his own Facebook page.

You can follow him, Oscar Eclectus.

(gentle music) - He eats better than I do.

He has walnuts, pecans, strawberries, pineapple, oranges.

He eats, they're basically a fruit-based species.

So he gets all kinds of different fruits and nuts, and stuff like that.

You wanna step up?

There you go.

Just pull him up right up by you.

- Hey.

- Say "Give me a kiss."

- Give me a kiss.

(smacky kiss) Mm!

(Oscar singing) Yes, I know.

Are you happy?

Are you a happy bird?

Oh yes, yes you are.

Yeah, you're a happy bird.

- [Bob] Give her a kiss, Oscar.

Give her big kisses.

Mauh!

He also sings, he's got a, he goes la, la, la, la.

And he's got a boop-boop-de-do.

- Can you sing?

♪ La, la, la, la, la, la ♪ (chuckling) Oh, he wants the microphone.

Oh, no, no, no, no.

You sneaky bird.

Sneaky bird.

(gentle music) He has been with Bob for eight years.

After a rough start, life is good.

(gentle music) (upbeat music) The next day, Michael took me into the huge enclosure for macaws.

(upbeat music) We were surrounded by loud, curious birds.

(upbeat music) - [Michael] They love my feet.

- Well, that's good.

Better your feet than you face.

So, this is a pretty nice facility.

They're free to fly.

- This is actually the biggest flight on property.

(birds screeching) It's about double the size of a normal flight.

And it houses almost all of our macaws.

- Oh, we've got our wings out, does that mean you're going to fly?

No?

Oh, they're thinking about it.

(birds screeching) So are they annoyed or a little concerned that we're all in here.

- They're just wondering what we're doing.

That's about it.

(birds screeching) They really have no issue with us in here, it's just, it is their home.

So, they're just gonna keep their eye on you.

(birds screeching) - And, they're loud.

- Oh, yeah.

And very destructive.

(birds screeching) - What you guys doing?

(upbeat music) Whatcha guys doing?

(upbeat music) - [Michael] That's Birdly.

- [Sharon] Birdly?

- [Michael] Birdly.

- Birdly, not- - He's a Catalina Macaw.

(upbeat music) - [Sharon] You'll see more birds in another enclosure.

Michael feeds all of them everyday.

This would drive you crazy after awhile.

- You get used to it.

- [Sharon] They're so beautiful.

- Yeah, they really are.

(birds screeching loudly) - Sharon What's up, dude?

- [Michael] Hey!

Leave my toes alone.

(upbeat music) Oh, he's doing his dance.

- [Sharon] Ouch!

(bird screeching) - [Michael] Curl your toes back.

- Sharon That was not my shoe, that was my leg.

(bird squawking) - [Sharon] Budgerigar is the correct name for parakeet.

Which are also parrots.

Budgies, as they're called, are also pretty birds, and perhaps a bit easier to handle.

There are so many at the sanctuary now.

There are two large enclosures just to hold them all.

But they don't live very long.

- A parakeet you can get for one to five years.

(birds chirping) Cockatiels can live up to 25.

Indian Rain Necks can live up to 25.

Love birds, I'll give them a five.

And then you get, like cockatoos, at least 60, 80 years.

- [Sharon] Wow, and the macaws can live?

- [Michael] The macaws, they can live 90, we've seen them live up to a 100.

(upbeat music) - [Sharon] A lot of love and innovation has gone into this sanctuary.

The water system drains down to a bio pond, where it is filters, and then pumped back to each enclosure.

What a nice little pond.

(birds chirping) So you got filter water, and they can jump in there.

It's so hot today, I feel like getting in there myself.

(birds chirping) - [Michael] Oh, it would be ice cold.

It's constantly moving.

Just like our bio-pond.

It filters down into, it drains down into straight down into our bio-pond, and it stays right in the middle, where it can get filter, by UV lights, sand filters, and pumped right back into all these flights.

- [Sharon] Oh wow, so this is all fresh- - [Michael] This is all fresh water.

(lively music) - [Sharon] The enclosures are heated in the winter.

When there's a storm, the entire family and volunteers monitor the birds every hour, if necessary.

It is a place unlike any other.

(upbeat music) - Snuggle bird.

Snuggle bird.

(smacky kisses) Snuggle bird.

(smacky kiss) - There are buildings behind me going all the way up the hill, full of parrots.

It cost a lot of money, and this place depends on donations.

Some times they deep into their own pockets.

But no bird is ever turned away.

I'm Sharon Collins.

We'll see you next time.

(lively music) (lively music) (lively music) (lively music)