'A unique experience': Calgary Parrot Club brings tropical birds to Airdrie continuing care home
Exotic birds are not a common sight in Alberta, but dozens of residents at the Airdrie Care Community had the chance to get up close and personal with a flock of colourful parrots on Sunday.
"What we like to do with our members is we like to do senior's home visits," said Brian Ford, vice president of the Calgary Parrot Club.
Ford and fellow club members brought a wide variety of tropical birds for residents to admire and interact with, from Kiwi the tiny Pineapple Conure to a massive Moluccan Cockatoo named Max, who has become quite the influencer on social media.
"It's really a lot of fun to get out to events like this," said Nicole Hankel, Max's 'mom-ager.'
"It's good for Max to see other birds, to visit people and make new friends."
Recreational therapist Cindy Ward says she had seen the Calgary Parrot Club make visits to other retirement homes and thought bringing the birds to the residents at Airdrie Care Community would make a lasting impression.
"Residents who sometimes don't come to anything else came," said Ward.
"Definitely a unique experience. Lots of smiles, lots of laughter."
While the visits are enjoyable and educational for the residents, they are also beneficial for the birds.
The Calgary Parrot Club visits the Airdrie Care Community on Sunday, May 5, 2024."Birds are not domesticated," explains Heidi Komnick with the Calgary Parrot Club. "To keep them tamed you need to interact with them, and having them interact with people they don't know helps establish a better bird all the way around."
One of Ford's favourite parts of these visits is seeing the smile it puts on faces of residents.
"For many of them, it's the first time they have ever held a parrot, and often times you come here and they have had birds in their life and they are so excited to see the parrots."
The Calgary Parrot Club is made up of about 65 members and they hold meetings every month.
The Calgary Parrot Club visits the Airdrie Care Community on Sunday, May 5, 2024.Anyone interested in learning more about the club and retirement home visits can visit their website at calgaryparrotclub.ca, or email them at mailbox@calgaryparrotclub.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
Canada announces $11B for military aircraft training
Canada has announced an $11.2-billion contract to improve training platforms for the military, including the purchase of 70 training aircraft for the Future Aircrew Training program.
CNN Exclusive: A federal grand jury may soon hear from Sean 'Diddy' Combs' accusers
Federal investigators are preparing to bring accusers of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs before a federal grand jury, two sources familiar with the probe tell CNN — signaling the U.S. Justice Department is moving toward potentially seeking an indictment of Combs.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.
Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi are married, says Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi has confirmed that his son, Jake, has married British actress Millie Bobby Brown at an intimate ceremony.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.