A Yank Visits the Motherland

Imagine, getting on a plane in North Carolina and travelling eight hours to a country you have never visited before, to stay with people you have never met.

That is exactly what my wife, Dinah, and I did in June of this year when we went to Wales. Imagine the anxiety as the hours pass in the airplane, and you begin to question your sanity. Who, in his or her right mind, would travel that distance to stay with someone you had only corresponded with over the Internet? Who would open their home to strangers, drive long hours to a distant airport and arrange visits for these strangers in the homes of others? The answer to both questions can be found in the guise of a small bird originally imported from Australia to the United Kingdom many years ago.

In the United States, we were warned not to purchase birds in the United Kingdom. We were told that the only reason we would be invited to aviaries, was because we would be seen as "customers". When we let our friends in the United States know that we had no intention of buying birds, we were warned about the reception we would receive. I, however, had faith in the nature of our fellow enthusiast.

Dolores Noonan and her son, Nigel, met us at the airport. Greetings were exchange and suddenly, I knew that all was going to be well. Nicer people, I have never met. After a quick side trip to Nigel?s home, we left for Wales. On the way, Dolores had arranged a visit to the aviary of Mr Gerald Binks. Now, I have admired, throughout the years, the birds raised by Gerald Binks and have read with great enthusiasm the many articles written by him, and could not believe that we were actually going to meet this fine individual. Once at the Binks? home, we exchanged formalities and went into the aviary. My greatest expectations were quickly exceeded. Such an array of budgies I had never seen. I looked, I studied, and I talked with, and questioned Gerald about his birds. He shared a great deal of information with me, and answered my questions without hesitation. All too soon, we left the aviary and returned to the Binks? lovely home. Mrs Binks had prepared a light lunch for us, which we truly appreciated. Eleven hours earlier we had boarded a plane in North Carolina. Now we were sharing a meal in England with some wonderful people and discussing our mutual interest, budgies.

Soon, we left the Binks?, made a brief side trip by Windsor Castle and continued our trip to Wales. After a journey of several hours, we stopped in a quaint village for fish and chips to take home for dinner. Once at Promise House, we met Peter Noonan. Peter, the fixer of broken things, the maker of breeding cages, the spouse and partner of Dolores, the maker of fine wine and the punster without equal, greeted us as if we had been friends for many years.

Wales is a beautiful country. I?m sure that God must have spent extra time when he made Wales. Everywhere you look, there are emerald green fields, which are divided by hedgerows. In every field were sheep. Old villages and older churches were abundant. The people we met in Wales were friendly, and were kind enough not to make comment about our funny accents. I was told, however, that once I put on my baseball cap, everyone would know that I was an American. They were talkative, happy and seemed to enjoy life. We were most relaxed there. I think that I could go back and spend the remaining years of my life among the green mountains and pastures of Wales.

On Monday, Dolores, Peter, Dinah and journeyed by way of North Wales, through to the eastern part of England to visit the aviary of Pat and Gren Norris. I have admired the birds exhibited by Mr and Mrs Norris for many years. Gren was not home during our visit but Pat proved to be a most gracious hostess. Never have I seen such a number of birds of such exceptional quality in one place. Although Pat stated that they have much work to do with improving their birds, I personally, found no need to improve the birds I saw. Pat answered my multitude of questions with no apparent aggravation. She seemed willing to share her knowledge and expertise with us. As at the Binks? aviary, I learned much at the Norris? aviary about budgies and proper breeding techniques.

Soon we left for London, where we shared a fantastic meal at Nigel?s home. We spent the night in a bed and breakfast close to Heathrow, and left on Tuesday morning for the United States. We had just experienced four wonderful days in two beautiful countries, sharing our lives with fantastic people. Not once did any of the folks we visited try to sell us birds. Selling, purchasing, or prices of birds never entered into any of our conversations. Perhaps my friends in the United States have not met the same wonderful people we met. What these wonderful individuals did, however, was give graciously of their time and expertise. They allowed me to study their birds. They answered innumerable questions. They shared some of their secrets. Most importantly, they touched our lives. My only regret about our trip - they don?t have iced tea in the United Kingdom!

Why do we raise and exhibit budgies? I think the real answer lies in the previous sentences. Through budgies, we have met hundreds of wonderful people. Friendships have developed. We have shared our lives with each other. We have shared our happiness and sorrows. We have gotten to know each other on a plane that transcends economics. Our different socioeconomic status' have no meaning when we get together to talk about our budgies, or to show them. This marvellous little bird from Australia has given my wife, Dinah, and I the opportunity to travel and see parts of the world we would never have otherwise seen. It has allowed us to meet people and to form friendships, which are stronger than the majority of friendships, which exist throughout the world. Winning prizes with our birds does not really enter into the reasons for raising and exhibiting the budgerigar. If we ever decide to leave the hobby, I only hope that we can still travel to visit our friends and to enjoy all that we have gained throughout the years because of one little bird from Australia.

Original text: Copyright 1997, Larry Moore

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