President's 2025 Message

Article from “The Mickaboo Bird Rescue Companion”
Published January, 2026

By Tammy Azzaro

Hello, Everyone, and Happy New Year!! 

Looking back on this year, it is clear that it was one of the most challenging chapters in our rescue’s history. We are deeply aware of the weight carried by our team, our volunteers, and our supporters throughout an extraordinarily difficult time. Thanks to the compassion and perseverance of our Mickaboo family, we have made it through safely and want to share the relevant numbers with all of you.

Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue is in our 30th operational year of rescuing companion birds. Our original name, “Mickaboo Cockatiel Rescue” was chosen because it reflected the need our founders saw in the community - nobody was paying attention to the numbers of small pet birds (especially cockatiels) that needed rescue. Of course, if you are really good at something, everybody wants your help, and Mickaboo was quickly asked to rescue bigger and smaller birds as well.

So, here we are. Our track record is the rescue of literally thousands of companion birds ranging from tiny little finches to the very largest macaws. We’ve learned a lot along the way, and have always tried to share what we have learned with our volunteers, with the veterinary community, and with the expanding universe of avian rescue, including the Parrot Conservation Alliance, of which we are a founding member.

An especially happy recent occurrence was our forging a partnership with “Flying Tails”, a nonprofit organization consisting of pilots who fly private airplanes to relocate animals who must be moved as part of their rescue journey.

Other activities involving our incredible volunteers included six adoption and education-oriented events hosted by ourselves and others, spreading awareness of good companion bird practices and of the existence of bird rescue organizations.

We have become increasingly aware that Mickaboo is becoming too large to continue our largely informal reliance on a mutually updated record of policies and rules (our “wiki”) and to rely on a 100% volunteer workforce. Working with our Tech Team (Matt, Sarah, and Alix), the Senior Executive Committee (also known as Tammy, Pam, and Michelle) has been overseeing a compilation of our policies, goals, and historic rules into a single Handbook that can be available to all volunteers. Our Volunteer Coordinator (Lisa) has pulled together a working group to evolve our Basic Bird Care Class into a suitable online format. We will also be finalizing a job description for a full-time professional Executive Director to lead Mickaboo into the next stage of our existence.

What we know with great certainty about the future is that we must and will continue to rescue companion birds. It is our common goal, and our shared passion. It IS why we exist and why we have worked together for almost 30 years.

Ok, now on to the numbers.

There are 451 birds currently in our care. That number includes 388 in foster care, 50 that are hospitalized, and 4 in hospice care. The largest number of foster birds are the 106 parakeets. The next greatest numbers are 86 finches and canaries, 63 cockatiels, 55 Telegraph Hill conures. What makes these numbers even more remarkable is that they are cared for in 161 foster homes! Mickaboo took in 486 birds this last year and adopted out 452 birds.

One of the factors that makes our operations more difficult is the phenomenon of a “flock” surrender. This usually means a very large number of very small birds. It occurs most frequently as a flock of finches, budgies, or canaries. This year it occurred in August. A family learned that a severely ill family member was allergic to their flock of finches and the birds needed to be moved. One of our previous adopters stepped forward and agreed to adopt all 262 finches. So the month of August saw the most surrenders (269) and adoptions (314)! That’s an incredible number for one month, made possible by one generous adopter!

As we look ahead, we do so with renewed determination and deep gratitude. This year tested us in ways we never expected, yet because of your compassion, perseverance, and belief in our mission, countless birds were rescued, treated, and given a second chance. Even when outcomes were uncertain, every effort mattered, every life mattered, and every act of care made a difference. Together, we carry forward the lessons of this challenging year with resilience, hope, and an unwavering commitment to protect the birds who depend on us. Thank you for standing with us—what we have accomplished together is powerful, and what lies ahead is even more meaningful.