20100415 Birds of Feather Find Sanctuary at World Parrot Refuge (1)

Birds of Feather Find Sanctuary at World Parrot Refuge

A place where every bird has its own story to tell

You never heard such a ruckus. Screeching, squawking and the whap and whir of a thousand rainbow-hued wings fill the air. Welcome to World Parrot Refuge. About 700 once-abused, neglected or abandoned birds live out what's left of their long lives in the 23,000-square-foot aviary that's a sanctuary, vet hospital and raucous bird zoo all in one near Coombs, B.C. "These are my babies now," says Wendy Huntbatch, who started the refuge in 2005 on a country road about 25 miles north of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.


"People get them as pets and then they realize they will live 60 years or more, and they get overwhelmed, or they get tired of caring for them." Huntbatch has named each of her charges and recounts most of their stories by heart. There's Ginny, a Catalina macaw, once kept in a dog crate in a crack house, where, Huntbatch says, "There were probably days when she wasn't given a kind word, much less food." And Goldie, an umbrella cockatoo, loved until her owner became allergic to its dander.




ruckus n. 喧鬧/騷動(大多用單數型)
=> a loud noise for a long period of time
eg: The arrival of the superstar caused a ruckus at the airport.
=> 這位超級巨星的抵達造成機場一陣騷動。

ruckus n. 爭議/爭論/吵架
eg: The editor's comment raised a heated ruckus between readers.
這位編輯的評論引起讀者間激列的爭議

abuse v. 虐待/傷害
=> be treated poorly or wrongly
eg: The poor boy was physically abused by his father.
=> 這個可憐的小男孩被父親暴力的對待。
eg: She was verbally abused by her husband for many years.
=> 她的丈夫多年以來用言語傷害她。

abuse v. 濫用
eg: He abused his authority as the CEO and got fired.
=> 他濫用他CEO的職權後來被革職了。

overwhelm v. 使受不了/使不知所措
eg: The kids were initially overwhelmed when we moved from the city to the suburbs.
=> 當我們從城市搬到郊區時，孩子们當初都不知所措。
eg: Patrick was overwhelmed by the responsibilities of being a boss.
=> 當老板的諸多責任讓Patrick幾乎承受不了。


sanctuary n. 庇護所/避難所



aviary n. 鳥舍/禽舍/鳥類飼養場
=> a large cage kind of where they keep birds

recount v. 敘述/講述
dog crate 狗籠



allergic adj. 過敏的/對...極討厭的
dander n. 生氣/怒氣

//== Chat room ==//

關於bird的諺語

Kill two birds with one stone. 一石二鳥
The early bird catches the worm. 早起的鳥兒有蟲吃
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
=> 一鳥在手勝過雙鳥在林（滿足於現有的總比因過分追求而失去一切好）
Birds of a feather flock together. 物以類聚

early bird 先到的人/比別人早到的人
early bird special 預購優惠
=> 在美國常會看到early bird special這種預購專案，
=> 有些東西如果預購的話會有折扣
=> 有些活動提早報名也會有early bird的優惠

wing 鳥的翅膀

to wing it 在有限的時間和條件下臨時應付完成一件工作
=> 若是在某個公共場合，突然有人要你上台致詞
=> 你沒有預備講稿，你就只好wing it

for the bird
=> If you don't like something, you can say "it's for the birds!"


//== More Information ==//

The World Parrot refuge is located at 2116 Albemi Highway, about 25 miles north of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.
It's open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students 13-17,
$8 for students 6-12 and free for kids under 6. A pass for families of four or more is $30.