Press photographer Simon Pizzey met Molly Daniel, (24) from Cheltenham wandering through Stroud Farmers’ Market with her three macaws and a jackdaw, and told him her story.
“I like to come to Stroud farmers market when I have some spare time. I love to see the diversity of the community and their friendliness. It’s also a different form of enrichment for the birds who like to interact with humans and the joy and smiles they bring to the public is something that always make my day.
“When the birds interact with people on the streets you can regularly hear a crisp ‘Hello’ or a flashing of their colourful wings. People have joined us on the commons to witness them in flight. I don’t really let people pet them as that is usually reserved for flock members only! People are shocked, fascinated, curious, excited and many more emotions when you see something you don’t expect but are pleasantly surprised.
“These birds are designed for flight, flying 15-50 miles a day in the wild so I have free flight trained them. This means they can soar the skies unrestricted, play in trees and exhibit natural and normal behaviour. Just because they are in captivity, does not mean they are domestic and they will always have their wild instincts.
“They are a lifestyle, so every day is training and also remembering that every interaction you have with that bird is a training session.
“They love to forage some wild foods like haw berries, beech nuts and Hazel nuts but at home they have a variety of fresh veggies, fruits, pellets, high quality seed (small amounts), freeze dried veggies, herbs and flowers and their treats of nuts (a favourite being the pistachios or a pine nut!)
“My fascination with birds has been strong for 10 years. I started by rescuing a young rook in my teens who was my best friend. Unfortunately, his heart wasn’t as strong as his mighty little character and we lost him. This sparked a drive to help and rescue more birds and to learn as much as humanly possible about them. I’ve helped corvids, pigeons, songbirds, raptors, and parrots. I just love how sentient and intelligent these birds are which can often be overlooked especially in birds like sable the jackdaw. Some people may even see her as a pest. But once to get to know them your view is set to change as they are all their own individual character, no differently to humans!
“The work I do is all voluntary even though I would love to make it my career once I have enough qualifications (I’m currently on an access course at Hartpury College so I can pursue this dream). I work closely with the absolutely incredible Russell’s Rescue in Cheltenham who are a sanctuary and rescue for corvids (rooks, jackdaws, crows, ravens, magpies etc). Their mission is one that will pull at your heart strings and give you a new love for some of the UKs most overlooked birds.
“I have taken my feathered family to events in the past and have been a part of some public displays. However, to actually do these professionally (raising money for a charity) I would need an exhibition license which I am working my way towards. So, for now as I take them for their local walks where I like to talk about better avian husbandry and conservation as it’s amazing to fill in the gaps in knowledge to those who want to listen.
“Unfortunately, you do not need a licence to have a macaw but that doesn’t mean they don’t need an incredible amount of research before you adopt or buy one. Macaws and a lot of other parrots live an incredibly long time and sometimes when the odds are in their favour they can live as long as people and are a lifelong or generational commitment. This sadly also means they get rehomed a lot.
“Jack the very vibrant and colourful shamrock is celebrating four years with me this year out of his seven years so far. He has been neglected and passed from pillar to post (with some people showing him kindness in that time but not all) He now lives in his forever home with his mate Rosie and his chick Freya.
“I have three macaws. Rosie the blue and gold. Jack the shamrock. Freya the shammy gold.
“They are typically monogamous and stay paired for life raising their young and foraging together performing incredible aerial displays in synchronised flight and are the largest family of parrots.
“An odd fact is that unlike mammals and a lot of other birds they have bones in their tongue for dexterity and manipulating objects in their strong beaks and for delicately grooming themselves.
“If anyone ever holds Rosie, she does the oldest trick in the parrot book and sticks her finger like tongue in people ears!! It’s rather funny.
“Sable the jackdaw is a rescued non-releasable jackdaw who is currently receiving her free flight training. She was rescued out of the middle of the road last year by a friend, with a head injury that affected her sinuses. She happily lives with other jackdaws at the rescue. She eats a variety of foods like the parrots. However, meat, eggs and invertebrates are also included in her diet. These are incredibly complex birds, and I would never recommend one as a pet.
“We hope to see people around and please to approach us for a chat, we are happy to talk birds all day!”
Story and pictures by Simon Pizzey
