Northeast Tennessee Avian Rescue and Rehabilitation

06/08/2026

Gray Station rd in Gray TN

Flamingo (rose breasted cockatoo) went missing Thursday morning June 4th. He accidentally got out of his cage and flew out the door. If you see him or know someone who has, please reach out to me or Jeannine at
423-999-0076!!! He is someone’s baby so if you have him Please reach out.

06/07/2026

🚨 Why I Don’t Feed Peanuts to My Birds 🚨

This is exactly why I remove all peanuts from my birds’ food mixes.

Take a close look at these peanut shells—the discoloration and mold growth on the outside is concerning. If mold is visible on the shell, there’s a good chance mold spores may also be present inside the peanut.

One of the biggest concerns with moldy peanuts is their association with Aspergillus, a fungus that can cause aspergillosis, a serious and often life-threatening respiratory infection in birds. Parrots and other birds are especially sensitive to fungal spores, and exposure can lead to significant health complications.

For that reason, I choose not to feed peanuts to the birds in my care and remove them from any seed mix that contains them.

Always inspect your bird’s food carefully before feeding. If you see mold, discoloration, an unusual odor, or anything that looks questionable, it’s best to throw it away. It’s simply not worth the risk.

Our feathered friends depend on us to make safe choices for them. ❤️🦜

This is why I don’t feed peanuts and why I encourage other bird owners to be cautious as well.

06/06/2026

Today I just want to take a moment to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

A huge thank you to Tina Pugliese, Alivia Burkhalter, Megan Wallace, Becky Trout, Jennifer Buskey, Dwayne and Cheryle Frye, Ashleigh Goodnow, Kelly Merrit, Greg, Tracy, Robyn, Ashleigh, Rick and Joyce Willis, and Kelly for your generous food donations and support for the birds.

I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to those who sent monetary donations: Leonora Prince, Cara Dietrich, Penny Salyer, Ann Kaplan, Alisa Gray, Rick and Joyce Willis, Kimberly Williams, Cathy McQueen, Christy Dorton, Geri Wynn, Deborah Birenbaum, Danna Klingensmith, Sean Carroll, Christiauna Hurst, Debbie Range, Michelle Ray, Lee Johnson, Greg Ruffing, Gayle Agner, and Shane Griffith.

There were also quite a few boxes that arrived without names attached. To those anonymous supporters, please know how much your kindness means. Thank you for sending food and supplies for the birds.

The cost of caring for so many birds can feel overwhelming at times, and your generosity has taken a tremendous amount of stress off my shoulders. Every bag of food, every supply item, and every dollar donated helps ensure that the birds in my care continue to receive everything they need.

I may not always have the words to express how grateful I am, but please know that your support makes a real difference every single day. On behalf of all the feathered residents here, thank you for believing in this rescue and helping me continue my mission. I couldn’t do this without you guys. ❤️🦜

06/04/2026

💔 Tonight was a hard one in rescue.

I just returned home from an emergency surrender, I brought three beautiful birds back to the rescue—three birds that were deeply loved by their mom, a fellow bird lover and friend.

She passed away unexpectedly.

She adored her birds like they were her children, and they adored her right back. These three precious babies were adopted from me and went to a home filled with love, care, and devotion. Tonight, they came back to us under circumstances none of us could have imagined.

What makes this even harder is that the birds knew something was wrong. They were confused, quiet, and grieving in their own way. Anyone who shares their life with parrots knows how deeply they bond and how much they understand.

My heart is absolutely broken tonight.

It’s broken for her family, especially her children, who are facing an unimaginable loss. It’s broken for her birds, who have lost the person they loved most. And it’s broken because the rescue community is saying goodbye to someone who truly understood and cherished these incredible animals.

Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. And if you would, say a little prayer for her birds as well. They are going to miss her more than words can express.

You will be missed. ❤️🕊️🦜

05/31/2026

05/29/2026

I hate making posts like this, but I am at a point where I need to be honest.

The birds desperately need food.

With over 170 parrots depending on me every single day, food disappears incredibly fast. What seems like a large shipment often lasts only a short time, and right now our supplies are running lower than I’d like.

At the same time, I want to talk about something else that happens far more often than people realize.

I regularly receive messages from wonderful people who say they want to volunteer. We set up a day and time. Sometimes we exchange multiple messages. Then the day comes… and no one shows up. No call. No text. No message.

Others come once, full of excitement and plans to return every week, and then I never hear from them again.

I completely understand that life happens. Emergencies happen. Schedules change. That’s not the issue. The issue is simply communication. I am at the point I don’t even reach out to no shows anymore, I’m exhausted.

When I plan for volunteers, I plan work around that help. When no one shows up, the work still has to be done. The birds still need fed. The cages still need cleaned. The medications still need given.

This rescue operates largely on the dedication of a very small group of people. Most days it’s just me making sure 170+ birds have everything they need.

If you genuinely want to help, I would love to have you. I need dependable volunteers and the birds need food.

If you can’t volunteer, donating food is one of the biggest ways you can make an immediate impact on the birds that are here at the rescue.

Every bag helps. Every volunteer hour helps. Every share helps.

Thank you to those who continue to show up for me and for the birds, week after week I couldn’t do this without you. ❤️

Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/LD3FX2V00FOF?ref_=wl_share

PayPal: https://paypal.me/NETARR?locale.x=en_US

Venmo: -Furman-1

Cash App: $LeighFur

— Leigh (exhausted momma bird) ❤️
Northeast Tennessee Avian Rescue & Rehabilitation (NETARR)

Go to paypal.me/NETARR and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.

05/23/2026

The evil in this world is out of control! I got a call last evening that there was a wild bird stuck in a sticky trap and then thrown in the dumpster. 😡
WTF (👈sorry) is wrong with people. Tiffany (who heard the bird) is an amazing human. We worked through trying to get that poor baby off the sticky trap. I gave her a bunch of names and numbers to contact to help rehabilitate it. I don’t know how a person can just do that?? I would like to put them on a huge sticky trap and throw them in the dumpster!!! :(💔

I will not post the picture, it’s very heart wrenching:(

05/18/2026

My sweet Kingston in his outdoor aviary I just finished. It’s locked and secure like a federal prison lol

He loves it!!! I need to put more greenery and a solar fountain in it yet, but he sure loves to fly from one end to another!

05/18/2026

I have been running on fumes this last week! I think I was run down from never stopping! Saturday 3 of my amazing friends came to help me because I was just physically exhausted. I helped but was able to rest more on Saturday! I am so grateful for Morgan, Elizabeth, and Seanna!!!
I was still feeling slow today so Elizabeth came and helped me again. I had a lot of visitors today and her helping let me have more time for my amazing bird visitors! Thank you guys so much!!! I really appreciated and needed your help!

Then Tuesday and Thursday mornings Don and Michelle come, then Wednesday and Friday Perry and Heidi come. This lets me get to work earlier those days so I can get home earlier to care for them in the evening! I am so grateful for all of them! I couldn’t do it without them!! Thank you guys so much!!