Yesterday, I took a day trip to Durham, North Carolina to meet with Dr. Gregory Burkett, owner of The Birdie Boutique, a store and full veterinary service for birds. For those not familiar with Dr. Burkett, here is a small snippet about him from his professional website:

“Dr. Greg Burkett has extensive experience in all aspects of aviculture. He began breeding birds in 1979, starting with a few budgies and cockatiels at the hobby level. Over the next 20 years, Dr. Burkett successfully bred and raised over 40 different species of psittacine birds, before ending production in 2000.

In 1992, he and his wife opened a bird specialty shop, The Birdie Boutique, Durham NC, which is still operating successfully today. Through The Birdie Boutique, he has developed many professional hand feeding techniques, bird care philosophies, and expert nursery management protocols. These skills gave him a deep understanding of how pet birds should best be cared for.

In November 2002, Dr. Burkett became one of the first 100 veterinarians in the country to be Board Certified in avian medicine. In 2004, he was appointed an adjunct professorship for the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine and teaches veterinary students rotating through his practice. Currently he serves as the Chair for the Avian Welfare Committee, which is a seat on the Board of Directors for the Association of Avian Veterinarians.”

I had been in contact with Dr. Burkett via email, and upon hearing about The Roaming Parrot, he invited me to his office to chat more in person about the project. What was anticipated to be a quick chat turned into a two hour long discussion about the goals and ideas for The Roaming Parrot. Dr. Burkett is thrilled and in full support of The Roaming Parrot, and feels that this project will be the first steps in bridging the great divide in the avian community. I don’t want to take the words out of his mouth – I’ll let him tell you instead.

 

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