Fallen Sparrow Pet Bird Rescue & Sanctuary

09/25/2026

Red joined the flock at Fallen Sparrow three months ago, and it was my understanding that he is a Mexican Red Headed Parrot, aka a Red Crowned Amazon. My friend Jenny told me Red is probably a hybrid because he has some yellow feathering that is not normally found in that species.

Yesterday, Red was looking a little under the weather, so I called to get him an appointment with Dr. McGee at CareVet in Collierville. We are leaving the vet clinic now. The good doctor determined that Red has an over abundance of campylobacter bacteria, the cause of a foodborne diarrheal illness. He is a little underweight, so I am very glad we caught this right away. Oh, Dr. McGee likewise thinks Red is likely a hybrid because he has not seen an Amazon with Red’s exact coloration. I learn so much from my friends and vets who treat the parrots.

I had no idea how old Red was when he came to Fallen Sparrow, but Dr. McGee says his eyes and the callouses on his feet suggest he is an older bird, perhaps 30 years old or more, though there is no way to be sure of his age. He was given a dose of meds, and I’ll be treating him with these same meds twice a day for the next ten days.

Though the bacterial infection may be all that is wrong, I opted to go ahead and have a complete avian blood panel done considering Red’s apparent advanced age. Since we had blood drawn, we’re also having DNA sexing done. I have thought Red is a ‘he,’ but we may find out he is a ‘she.’ 😜

I thank God that in the midst of all that is going on to prepare for Fallen Sparrow’s move, it stood out to me that something was amiss with Red and that Dr. McGee agreed to see him right away. Delays in getting medical attention and/or diagnoses have proven fatal for some dear parrots in the past. Please pray for Red to bounce back ASAP and that the blood panel will not indicate anything more concerning. I am prepared to hand feed Red if he does not eat and drink right away. Maintaining weight and staying hydrated are of utmost importance.

I will share more about Fallen Sparrow’s new facility soon, but for now, I need to pay close attention to Red and the other parrots to be sure nobody else is battling the culprit bacteria. I covet and appreciate your prayers for the birds’ health and for the relocation process which is currently underway and will be ahead of us for a while. Alan

09/22/2026

We’re celebrating at Fallen Sparrow! It has been a very interesting journey in search of the right property, and when we found it, the devil tried hard to keep it from happening. It is no surprise, however, that the Lord prevailed and now Fallen Sparrow is on a path for the ministry to launch. We are going to need lots of help in many ways, so stay tuned for updates. I will share upcoming needs and opportunities to serve very soon.
Thank you to all who have prayed and encouraged me along the way. Love y’all! Alan

09/18/2026

My heroes at Sheldrick hard at work rescuing orphaned elephant calves.

In the wilds of Zimbabwe, two orphaned elephant calves were trapped and sinking in a merciless mud pit. Rangers from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust raced against time, wading waist-deep into the sludge to loop ropes around them, and after hours of struggle, pulled both to safety. Named Kuda and Tariro—Love and Hope—they recovered, grew strong, and were eventually released back into a protected reserve, proof that compassion can rescue even the most desperate lives.

👉 Read the full story of their dramatic rescue in the comments below.

09/17/2026

It’s about to get real, y’all! It’s been a long journey. If it is the Lord’s will, and by His grace and provision, I will close on the purchase of a small church building in Fayette County TN on Monday. God has given me a beautiful vision of a Christian ministry around the rescue and sanctuary of pet birds, parrots particularly. I looked at houses in Eads, Olive Branch, Byhalia, Bartlett, Southaven, etc., but nothing seemed like a good fit. I will post more in the coming days, but for now, please join me in praying for God to raise up Fallen Sparrow. I’m attaching a photo of the building, the Fallen Sparrow logo, and a drawing of future enhancements to the façade of the building.

08/05/2026

Gucci the canary paid a visit to the vet today. Her vent is swollen and inflamed. I did not think she was egg bound, and an ultrasound confirmed there is no egg. A Gram stain indicated yeast is the culprit. So, I have to keep her backside clean and dry. She’ll be given Metacam (meloxicam) orally for a few days for the inflammation and she’ll have Nystatin oral solution for a few days to battle the yeast. This is a new venture for me because I have never taken a canary to the vet before. She has not acted as though she is the least bit under the weather, so hopefully her condition will clear up quickly.

07/16/2026

This afternoon I am hanging out with a couple of the parrotlets, Gizmo and Apollo. The parrotlet is the smallest species of parrot, smaller than a budgie. Their small size, however, does not mean they are necessarily docile and gentle. They can be very aggressive, and like a chihuahua that stands up against a pit bull, these little parrotlets could get killed easily by standing up to a larger parrot. So, I do not let the parrotlets free-fly with any other parrots.

Gizmo is one of the three parrots that came to Fallen Sparrow when their hooman mama was under hospice care, dying of cancer. Their mama passed away 36 hours after coming home with me.

A veterinarian initially told me about Apollo. His hooman dad was seeking a new home for the tiny bird due to a lifestyle change. Retirement brought traveling opportunities that meant Apollo would be left home alone too much.

Gizmo and Apollo are two of eight parrotlets at Fallen Sparrow. Of the eight, four are caged alone, and the other four are caged in pairs. The two pairs have to be monitored closely for signs of aggression because a parrotlet can quickly turn on its mate and the aggression can end in death. This happened with two of my bonded pairs several years ago.

Today, Gizmo and Apollo, who are not paired, are enjoying time out of their respective cages. They are free-flying in the same room, both making lots of noise and enjoying the outing, yet they are not physically interacting with each other at all. They are both very vocal, however. Gizmo is more inclined to sit on my finger, hand, or shoulder and otherwise allow me to handle him than Apollo. Apollo has a robust personality and chatters at me a lot. I can hold him, and he doesn’t get too aggressive with me, but as soon as I open my hand, away he flies.

Captions tell more of their stories.

07/16/2026

Poor little Pinocchio, the button quail, has a fast growing beak that gets out of control quickly. It used to just grow long, but now it has become scissored as well. Here are just three photos with captions. I do not know the cause of Pinocchio’s beak condition. I raised this bird from just a couple days old, kept in a brooder with other chicks. The beak was overgrown from an early age. Debbie the kakariki also has a beak the grows excessively long, but I know her condition is a symptom of her articular gout. The only other bird at Fallen Sparrow with such a beak condition is a little zebra finch whose beak is scissored, though it does not grow so fast as Pinocchio’s.

07/16/2026

Somebody turns three years old today! Happy HatchDay to Maui. He competes with Mojo the Goffin’s cockatoo at being Fallen Sparrow’s most mischievous and goofy resident. Maui is a white bellied caique. He is adorable and hilarious.

His species’ natural habitat is south of the Amazon River. There is also a black-headed caique that lives north of the Amazon River. The two species are very similar, and both are poor flyers compared to other parrots.

Caiques like to hop a lot in tree canopies instead of taking flight. Because they are not great flyers, the two caique species do not cross the Amazon into each other’s natural ranges.

I’ve included photos of the birthday boy but no captions this time.

07/15/2026

We’re leaving the vet clinic right now. My sweet Helen has conjunctivitis (pink eye). There are several possible causes, not all contagious. None of the other ‘tiels who share a flight cage with Helen appear to have it. So, the good doctor is not only treating her with Erythromycin Ophthalmic Ointment, but he also gave her an injection of vitamin A in case a deficiency is the cause of her symptoms. I will, however, keep Helen separated from the others on the chance she is contagious. As far as a possible vitamin A deficiency goes, I doubt that is the cause because she does regularly get sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, and spinach in her chop; but it is entirely possible that she picks out everything else but the vitamin A laden veggies when she eats chop. Among the smaller birds who are part of a same species flock, I always wonder who’s eating what when I serve such a mix. All birds tend to pick out what they want and avoid things they don’t want…kinda like a little kid eating his chicken nuggets and mac-n-cheese, but pitching the carrots and peas onto the floor. 😜
Please offer a prayer for Helen’s quick recovery.