About Dreamcatchers.

My love of birds began with a Cockatiel in 1984 while I was a junior in high school. I purchased a pearl pied hen and was given a normal grey male. Pearl, the hen, was pretty tame and sweet, the boy Robin was not. Robin, however, was an incredible mimic. He learned to whistle Rockin' Robin, wolf whistle, the Star Wars theme and occasionally, he would try words like "Pretty bird", "Hello" and "Where's Pearl?" He was a misunderstood, hormonal breeder bird and he bit me one too many times, so, after the many bloody battles we had, my parents decided the birds needed to go. It was several years later that I brought home to my loving husband, a few zebra finches. I promised him that they "didn't make much noise." They were a wonderful learning experience. Unfortunately, I also had a very, very smart cat who discovered how to open the cage door to let herself in for a snack and then couldn't get back out. Needless to say, I learned a valuable lesson in bird safety.

Our two African Grey Rescues and a Hahns Macaw came next into our lives. Tumba and Maui were severe pluckers and Diamond the Hahns macaw was a mean, loud bird. Maui lived to be only 27 years old, he passed from a second stroke in 2008. The first stroke happened in 2006 and the doctor didn't give him much chance to survive but he and I were both determined. I tube fed him for several weeks and performed physical therapy to strengthen his muscles and allow him to regain much of the motor control he had lost. He ended up showing everyone what a tough guy he was and lived 2 more years. Tumba, the younger grey, resides with me still, although she is really my husband's bird. She is now about 17 years old (as of 2018) and is still a chronic plucker, although she has recently been making some wonderful progress with a change in her diet and specialized supplements. We just tell her she is beautiful no matter what. She teaches the Cockatiels to whistle and many other fun sounds, songs and sayings. Diamond the Hahns Macaw was my best friend. She would go outside in a harness with me and ride my shoulder. Unfortunately Diamond passed from of all things, diabetes. Our next rescue CAG named Finn came to us in late summer of 2010. He was about 12 at the time. He had a bald collar and a twisted foot so he was also a special needs case. Tumba hated Finn and Finn spent his days fawning over Tumba. On November of 2011, my lovely little Finn passed away due to an unfortunate accident. He got caught in his cage on his bowl retainer and due to his twisted foot, broke his neck. Tumba is back to being our only African Grey and she is the queen of the house. In March of 2013, a new bird came to live with us. An owner-surrender, Pen is a Ducorp or Solomon Island cockatoo. His owner was brave enough and unselfish enough to recognize that Pen needed a home with more attention. He is a beautiful boy and has completely taken over my heart. He is now 8 years old (as of 2018). I still do some rescue work and am always willing to help provide permanent or temporary fostering for birds in need.

Over the years, I remembered how fond I was of my first Cockatiels and how much I missed them. At the end of 2009, I introduced my best friend to Cockatiels and she and I began to select the foundation stock for what we have is a small but successful and select breeding program. I am fascinated with all of the new mutations available and as a result, we have several unusual rare colored birds within our flock. I believe in selective pairing and study to produce beautiful, intelligent and all around companions whether they are destined to be quality beloved pets or hopeful show prospects. Our journey into the world of exhibition began in 2011 and our debut into the show world was exciting and promising. Some of the birds are shown, but all are loved and given the best possible life we can. We have several different varieties including Normal, Pearl, Pied, Cinnamon, White Face, Cream Face, Dominant Yellow Cheek, Fallow, Emerald, Lutino and Single Factor Dominant Silvers. Most of our birds are competition quality, many having earned points in NCS Competitions. While they may not all go on to compete or to even finish their championship, we take pride in selecting birds which exhibit well and which have equally desirable temperaments, proving their suitability to improve future generations of our birds. I hope to share my love of these little guys with people who enjoy these clever and humorous little birds and I hope you will find the same enjoyment with them as I have.