Moluccan Heaven: Where Angels Manifest

Well I just got back from lovely Seattle, Washington where I met with the group Project Bird Watch/Indonesian Parrot Project and also had the privilege of visiting two cockatoo sanctuaries out there. One of them was Mollywood - all mollies, all the time in Bellingham, almost all the way to Vancouver. That was very exciting! There were Moluccan cockatoos flying in the trees and hanging out in day cages outside.

I shot lots of video at both sanctuaries so I could show it to my husband when I got home. As I was filming one molly up in a tree, I asked him, "Can you fly?" and he gave me a sneer and then flew at me and landed on the camera! What a shot! I'm going to send that one in to Animal Planet!

Then on the last day there I visited Cockatoo Rescue and Sanctuary just north of Seattle and was totally awed and inspired by the many cockatoos living in species specific colonies and large outdoor aviaries on beautifully landscaped grounds. All the birds looked so good and they were all so happy! Their plumage looked great and they were out in the sun all the time and living like real birds! They had eachother to take care of and not worry about not getting enough attention from a human or being isolated to a lonely cage.

I was really inspired to come home and build some flights for my crew. I have large indoor aviaries for them but want to build them day cages as well so they can go enjoy the sunshine when the weather is good.

There are few things that equal the beauty of a well plumed Moluccan cockatoo with their muted tones of peach and rose. Although they are found in the wild on one of the most remote, if not THE most remote, place on Earth, Seram, Malaku, Indonesia, this must have been a necessity. Where else could angels manifest but a stronghold so remote as to nearly be unreachable? Alas, we have found our way there and they are pillaged and trapped for the illegal bird trade in Indonesia for the last several hundred years.

Project Bird Watch/Indonesian Parrot Project is making some dents in that though by helping convert bird trappers into bird watching guides. And they also confiscate illegally trapped birds directly from the smugglers and rehabilitate and release them. They are Cockatoo Warriors!

Namaste!