Birds of two feathers

Woody never forgets to tell Ginger Riegel “Goodnight.”

The 15-year-old Goffin’s cockatoo’s well wishes are just one example of the quirks Riegel and her husband, Robert, see in each of the 100 birds and other wildlife species under their care at Two Feathers Wildlife Center Inc., a facility on acreage behind their hidden-from-view country home in Myakka.

Gus, an African spur thigh tortoise, loves to have his chin scratched. Peaches, an 8-year-old Moluccan cockatoo, is known to be playful.

The facility’s Amazon parrots often heckle Riegel with phrases such as, “Can I have a cigarette?”

To Riegel, Two Feather’s director, the animals she feeds, shelters and plays with are her adopted children. But, after 29 years of housing animals at the sanctuary, Riegel has to find a way to say “Goodbye” as she prepares to close Two Feathers and relocate the animals.

Riegel started to consider closing her facility a year ago, after another sweltering summer, aching bones and the price tag that comes with caring for so many animals.

Although she’s a Florida native, 90-degree temperatures make it harder to feed the birds and clean their cages throughout the day.

And, as her family members have told her, she isn’t getting any younger, she says, laughing.

“I just reached a point where I realized I needed to do something else,” says Riegel, who is transitioning out of wildlife rescue.

This week, she’s transporting two cages to the East County bird sanctuary Birds of Paradise, located 13 miles away, off Waterline Road. Over the next few months, Riegel hopes to transfer all of her birds there.
The tortoise, pheasant, owl and other exotic species Riegel keeps will go to wildlife centers nearby, she says.

Riegel met Birds of Paradise’s founder Debbie Huckaby four years ago at a Florida West Coast Avian Society meeting after a mutual acquaintance introduced them. Riegel recently heard about Huckaby’s move to East County, and the women have been meeting at each of their facilities so they can learn more about the other’s birds.

Knowing another lifelong bird-lover and qualified caretaker will care for her birds comforts Riegel, but saying goodbye is still hard.

“It rips my heart out,” Riegel says, with tears in her eyes. “These animals have been my life for so long. They’re like my kids. But, sooner or later, this was going to happen.”

WANT TO HELP?
Providing food, veterinary services, shelter, toys and other necessities for Ginger Riegel’s 100 birds isn’t going to be easy or cheap for Birds of Paradise founder Debbie Huckaby.

The sanctuary seeks volunteers and donations to help care for the birds the East County facility will house. Ginger Riegel is also seeking donations to help care for the birds before they transition to their new home.

For more information, call Riegel at 322-2047 or Huckaby at (727) 366-9997.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].