A little over four years ago on a chilly November day my husband, Robin, and I decided to bring a Congo African Grey baby into our lives. But the beginning of my Bird Journey started before that… I was dropping off my dog, Pepper, at Kildee Kennel (outside of Centreville, Md., on the Eastern Shore) owned and operated by a good friend of mine, Mary Dougherty. She was telling me that she was worried about where her Congo African Grey, Merlin, was going to stay while she had some remodeling done at her house. Before I knew what I was saying, before I had a chance to talk it over with Robin I said "I'll do it!" Whoa! Where did that come from? Yes, I had always had a passing interest and fascination in birds, who doesn't? I just never imagined living with a parrot!

Merlin and Mary arrived. Mary assembled Merlin's cage while he watched, very closely. She filled me in on everything I would need to know about The Care and Feeding of Merlin. She gave me a run-down on what I might expect in the way of his vocabulary and how she would appreciate me being careful with my vocabulary in Merlin's presence then soon it was time for Mary to leave. There we were… Merlin and me! Wow! I was excited and apprehensive!

My work room had become the bird room. It didn't take long before Merlin started to talk! He yelled at the squirrels at the bird feeder but the squirrels were the ones in his yard at home. He was telling one dog it was bad, he was telling another dog it was good but the dogs he was talking to were the dogs at his house! He was making the squeaky sound of the woodstove door but we don't have a woodstove! Life at our house had become pretty funny and very interesting! Even Robin, who prefers wild animals and prefers them outdoors where Mother Nature put them, was becoming interested in Merlin and Merlin was taking to Robin. He taught Merlin to speak French! Yes! We had an African Grey at our house who greeted people with a hardy "Bonjour"! He still greets people with "Bonjour" nearly five years later! Much too quickly the six weeks flew by; it was time for Merlin to go home.

That first evening of the day Merlin had gone home I realized how much I missed him. Our daughter, Helen, was in her sophomore year at college in Boston, we were still missing her so much and, by the way, that hasn't changed, even after these few years. Robin missed hearing the by now familiar "Bonjour!" when he came home. Folks, we were literally looking at an empty nest, not a cliché but the real thing! It wasn't too much longer, about 12 hours sounds right, after Merlin went home before we started talking about having our own African Grey.

I did the research. The advice I kept getting was to find a reputable breeder, so that's what I did - I called Jean Pattison. The African Queen herself told me I was in luck, then she told me about Jane Norman. Jane lives in Maryland and raises the babies that Jean Pattison breeds. I was breathless, really! With excitement and anticipation! I couldn't wait to call Jane! Surely, I thought, I was this close to having my new dream come true! Then the hard part, Jane told me she wouldn't have babies until January, remember, this was still November! January was two months away! How could I possibly wait that long? Then I learned it would be another three months for the baby to be old enough to come home!

Two months became five. I probably could have made a few calls and found a pet shop with a CAG but after doing the research it didn't make sense to ignore the advice of some very kind, friendly and knowledgeable people. I decided if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right! So I did my time, I waited. Poor Jane, for about five months she put up with my weekly phone calls. After the babies arrived she graciously tolerated my weekly visits with Biko, my own Congo African Grey! Jane was so patient! She took that time to start my education on what it meant to be a good Parront. I couldn't believe my great, good fortune in finding Jane. I felt fully prepared and thoroughly educated by the time that long-awaited day arrived - the day Biko came home!

Biko was an absolute delight (and still is!), Jane raised her well! Jane raises all the babies well; she's been doing it for years! Our home was alive again with birdie noises - no more empty nest, though Helen was still living in Boston and still does. I haven't met a bird yet that can take her place but Biko and Wyatt help. As with a lot of bird people, one bird wasn't enough, I wanted another one! But my original agreement with Robin was for one bird. He knows me well though; he knew what was coming next. He knew, probably before I did, that I wanted another bird. It took a lot of talking but we finally agreed that I could have ONE more bird - one! The deal was struck, it included a sailboat for Robin and one more bird for me!

About four months after Biko came home to live with us I brought home Wyatt Urp, a sweet little baby Lesser Jardine's. I named him Wyatt Urp because he regurgitated for me, I call it "urping." I believe the timing was perfect, both birds were still young enough to remember being with their clutchmates. It wasn't at all unusual to walk into Jane's kitchen and find young Greys, Lesser Jardine's, Senegals and even a baby Un-Cape or two all playing together - what a sight! And there was Jane, sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by all these babies having their playtime! Those babies didn't know Jane was teaching them while they were playing. They were learning how to perch, they were flapping their little wings, the very early stages of flight, they were playing with the wonderful toys she'd made for them - Jane was having as much fun as the birds!

I reside in Maryland with my husband Michael, two daughters, a son and a nephew. I am owned by two Un-Capes, Angie (who has been mentioned in Bird Talk magazine) and Magnum; a Lesser Jardine's Parrot, Mars; a cat named Misty and a dog named Gracie (Yes, folks, I bottle fed Gracie when she was three weeks old too!) and numerous bouncing babies from The African Queen.

One day Robin and I stopped at Jane's house on our way home from one of our vacations to pick up Biko and Wyatt. They had stayed with "Auntie" Jane while we were away. Jane had this twinkle in her eye and asked if we had a few minutes. We were pretty wiped out from days of driving but my curiousity was piqued. She was thinking about starting a web site for her birdie business, would I be interested in helping her out?

Jane has little or no time to spend on the computer. Raising all those babies, taking care of her human family (that includes four teenagers!) and making bird toys all keep her pretty busy! I, on the other hand, have a computer in my work room and can often be found in front of it. Would I be interested in answering the email that would be coming in from the web site from people wanting baby birds? Not only would it save her the time she needs to take care of her family and her birds but it would also be a way to save her hours of time on the computer with people who are thinking about a baby bird but just want some basic information at first. One of the many fringe benefits of getting my birds from Jane is that she and I have become good friends. During the course of our regular phone conversations I would usually learn the basic information wanted by potential clients anyway. The questions that are generally asked from the web site are questions I can answer. Jane is happy to talk on the phone to anybody who may require information that goes beyond the basic questions. Thanks to cordless phones Jane is able to multi-task, computers don't allow for that kind of portability. Get Jane on the phone and you'll get all the in-depth infomation you need.

So that, in a nutshell, is how I became a member of The African Queen Team! I love what I do as far as the web site and it allows me time to continue my art and the various other things I do from my home. I enjoy "meeting" new people who are maybe looking for their first bird or possibly their third bird! I like to think that what I do, the small part I play, might bring someone some happiness, a little closer to their new dream or a dream they've had for years. It's so nice to meet you all!

Now you know that when you click on Sales@AfricanQueenBabies-Md.com you get me, Susan. So drop me an email and I'll get back to you!