Where's Liz? 2016: Oasis Sanctuary

The Oasis Sanctuary is located on a 71-acre parcel of land in the small community of Cascabel, not far from Benson, Arizona.

Established in 1997, the Sanctuary is a unique avian rescue and life-care facility, dedicated to providing permanent care, shelter and rehabilitation to companion parrots for which other rehoming options do not exist. Their residents include parrots, cockatoos, macaws, as well as other captive avian species.

The sanctuary is the oldest non-profit avian life-care facility in the U.S. It relies entirely on public donations to fund its operation. It is currently caring for over 800 birds, from Budgies to Macaws. Volunteers provide much of the care, but there are also paid workers.

This is the truth...it is a very noisy place.

They have completed 23 naturalistic free-flight aviaries to provide housing for the various species. They are currently focused on building an indoor/outdoor building to house their aging, handicapped, infirm and non-flight birds as funds become available. This map is interactive on their website, and you can click on each building to see who's housed there. Click on the link.

https://the-oasis.org/sanctuary-map/

On the left is the female cockatoo aviary and on the right is the macaw aviary. The birds are segregated by species as much as possible.

This building is called the Quad and houses birds isolated because of special needs.

All of the aviaries have abundant perches and toys to keep the birds active and entertained.

Many of the birds are very social and greet you when you come in.

Other birds are not interested in human interaction. Some have been abused, exploited as breeders, or bounced around from home to home and become fearful.

Many birds have special needs, are handicapped, or require unique living or feeding situations.

This is the female Cockatoo Aviary.

These birds require a lot of human interaction.

Many of the birds residing here are self-abusive, plucking out their feathers or even pecking holes in their chests. That is the purpose of the collar.

A veterinarian provides care as needed at a reduced rate, but not free.

Next we enter the Macaw Aviary...a very large pole barn.

Birds here are provided home and care for the rest of their natural lives. The are not bred, sold, or adopted out.

Our guide knows almost all of the birds by name and interacts easily with them.

Staff spend time interacting with each bird as well as bringing their meals.

They get quite a smorgasbord of fresh vegetables, nuts, and specially prepared food.

We were allowed as much time as we wanted photographing these colorful birds.

Some like to hang upside down on roof.

Bye

On to the African Grey Aviary...

Many of these birds do not fly well.

But they will climb up your arm to perch on your shoulder.

This guy flapped his wings a long time before he got brave enough to hop down to a lower perch.

There are also two non-breeding pair of Amazon Green Parrots in this aviary.

African Grey Parrot

Everybody got excited when the bowls of food arrived.

Found a peanut!

They seem to share well.

Time for a drink.

These birds are eating "bird bread." It has a cornbread base with seeds and other things baked in.

The birds like to dunk it in the water to soften it.

Birds are pretty messy when they eat, dropping a lot of food. That attracts other opportunists...do you see the mouse?

He looks like he is well-fed too.

Another large pole barn...

This building was completed in 2013 after a fund-raising campaign and helps keep the birds warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Some birds are bonded pairs (non-breeding) and are housed together.

Yes, they have a flock of rescued exotic chickens here too.

This is Bucky. He has a sponsor who helps provide for his care. You can go on their website and sign up to sponsor a bird here too.

I think the guide said this colorful bird is an Australian Parakeet.

This bird is a mixed breed which accounts for its unusual coloring.

The Quaker Aviary is made up of 3 square aviaries connected by overhead "flyways" so birds can travel back and forth.

A lot of these birds are confiscated from smugglers at the border and end up here.

This is the memorial garden, representing the "Rainbow Bridge."

It is also a fundraiser and you can purchase a "flower" in memory of your pet.

More rescued fowl.

The founder of the sanctuary at first rescued other animals as well as birds. They no longer do that, but the goats and a couple of horses that were rescued will live out their lives here too.