My son Derian and me visiting Czech breeder, Zdenek Vandelik, whose collection of conures is extremely complete. Though Zdenek does not speak English and I do not speak Czech, we have become close friends. This is common in aviculture: people of vastly different cultures are brought together as a result of a common interest.From left to right: David Monroger, me, Dr Robert Peters and François Deneux. Robert is an old friend and a great breeder of black cockatoos.I look for parrots everywhere I travel. In the Taj Mahal, India, I was mesmerized by nesting Ring-necked Parakeets, which are common on the palace grounds.Eric Peake is a bird artist and an aviculturist. He illustrated my book A Monograph of Macaws and Conures. We have been friends for many decades.Julie Murad of the Gabriel Foundation is the most recognized person in the bird rescue world. She is a friend. This friendship is illustrative that rescues and breeders can be friends and discuss areas of common interest.
