Birds of a feather flock together at Ruffled Feathers Bird Sanctuary in Hanover, Pennsylvania. The sweet creatures that make it to this sanctuary are lucky ones.

I for one am a bird lover and have doted on a few feathered family members over the years. My sweet cockatiel, Mr. Handi Mann, just passed at the ripe ate of 23 (cockatiel life expectancy in the wild is 10-14 years, domesticated is typically 20 years or longer under proper care). I was thrilled to be asked to photograph Ruffled Feathers for a feature in Southern PA Magazine. 

Why I was happy to be asked... because birds can be tricky pets. They are not nearly as domesticated as cats and dogs, which is challenging on the adopter. Bird can be very temperamental, and tend to attach to one owner. And birds also have long life spans... some of the larger species can live up to 100 years. This is a big problem because these pets are tossed from one owner to the next due to lack of knowledge of bird care or due to death. Birds are incredibly intelligent too - many can have the mental capacity of a toddler.

Given that fact, you can understand more why the life of a pet bird can be so difficult, and why Ruffled Feathers is so very important. When adopting a bird, you need to understand the responsibility you are taking on, the affect you (and your family and other pets) can have on the bird and the affect the bird can have on your family. Ruffled Feather's founders and volunteers have some heart-wrenching stories, and always open for donations and other forms of support. You can read their story at https://southernpamagazine.com/birds-of-a-feather/ and visit their website at https://www.ruffledfeatherssanctuary.org/.

Now with that said, let's see some cute, rescued birds and their lovely caretakers!

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