Spotlight on Brent

Today we're doing a "spotlight" post. These are posts where we highlight people who are important and valuable to PARS.

Without these people, it would not be possible for PARS to do all that it does.

Brent is one of our most dedicated and longest term volunteers. Brent's wife works with Dave Spurlin. She learned about the parrot rescue that existed and Brent and Renee decided to adopt.

When they first visited, they were set on getting a Congo African Grey. Congo Greys are generally considered to be the "most intelligent" of parrots. Some of them have extensive vocabularies and they also have a reputation for taking their time when deciding to trust someone. They were interested in a challenge. That all changed when they met a Timneh African Grey at the rescue. Timnehs are smaller and darker colored than Congos and have a horn coloration on their top beak. They are generally considered more easy going. This particular parrot took one look at Brent, hopped on him and wouldn't get off.

It was love at first sight for Thumper and after several more visits she went to her new home. Many volunteers stop volunteering after adopting. Not so for Brent. He continues to come to the rescue on average of two times per week. He changes papers, food and water dishes and is one of our best socializers. He enjoys gaining parrots trust and has worked with countless birds in house to get them used to being handled.

Brent also goes above and beyond the regular volunteer work. In addition to the "standard" volunteer things, Brent has been instrumental in building our second aviary, installing doors, flooring, mounting air filters, cutting lumber for toys and perches and various other tasks that require skill, hard work and precision.

Brent has also attended outreach activities. He has fielded questions from the general public, assisted with set up and tear down of displays and watched to ensure that parrots are not stressed and remain hydrated.

In addition to all of that, Brent and his wife are two of our finest adopters. They have adopted a Hans Macaw, a Scarlett Macaw, several cockatiels and of course Thumper the Timneh African Grey.

Thank You Brent! PARS would not be the organization that it is today without you!