Jan and Bob had a 鈥渓ove connection鈥� the first time they met, but most days she wishes he would fly the coop.

鈥淎 lot of people can鈥檛 handle Bob, he will bite them,鈥� Jan Robson says as Bob nuzzles into her chest.

鈥淚 can pretty much flip him upside down, do anything, and he won鈥檛 bite me. That鈥檚 not because I鈥檓 fabulous with parrots. That鈥檚 because Bob and I have something.鈥�

Bob is a peach-coloured moluccan cockatoo, and along with 94 other parrots including macaws and amazons, he鈥檚 awaiting adoption at the Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary. It opened in a warehouse on the east side of Vancouver in July 2016.

Almost 600 parrots were rescued from the World Parrot Refuge in Coombs, B.C., on Vancouver Island after the death of a woman who operated the facility. Bob and his buddies are among those still waiting for forever homes, as are about 30 other birds kept at a house south of the city, in Tsawwassen.

A lease for Bob and the gang鈥檚 current abode, in a building that鈥檚 up for development, has been extended several times and is set to expire on Feb. 28 so Robson is hoping that every bird, even her favourite, will tug on someone鈥檚 heartstrings.

Bob鈥檚 canoodling with Robson, spokeswoman for the sanctuary, isn鈥檛 going over well with his mates, who protest loudly from their cages, their wood-block mobiles and paper-plate toys are no match for the strokes and smiles he鈥檚 getting from a human.

鈥淗i there!鈥� says Gwenevere, a cat-calling cockatoo who repeatedly twirls herself upside down in her cage as Bob laps up all the attention.

A plastic tarp separates the cockatoos, which are prone to dander, from the macaws and amazons being chatted up by volunteers as a cacophony of parrots takes over, with green-winged macaws named Simon and Garfunkel leading the pack.

Medical records weren鈥檛 available for most of the rescued birds so Robson doesn鈥檛 know their ages. She says parrots are known to live for up to 80 years, meaning commitment phobics need not apply to adopt them.

Anyone who thinks a parrot鈥檚 main purpose is to entertain them with human chatter should consider another type of pet, Robson says, adding staff have discouraged some of the birds when they start up with their 鈥減otty mouths.鈥�

People who value their furniture should also think twice about bringing a parrot into their home because the birds with strong beaks are known to peck away at mouldings, Robson says, describing them as 鈥渄estructive,鈥� not to mention noisy.

鈥淢oluccan cockatoos have been measured as being as loud as jet engines,鈥� Robson says, adding Bob is 鈥渆xquisitely loud鈥� when he鈥檚 not gazing into her eyes.

While parrots are 鈥漚ttention junkies鈥� that squawk endlessly if they don鈥檛 get their fill of love, Robson says they鈥檙e also smart and have 鈥渏oy packed into their little bodies.鈥�

Once an adoption application has been vetted, a phone interview and a home visit would follow, she says, adding people need to know what they鈥檙e getting into instead of passing a parrot off to someone else if they can鈥檛 handle it.

鈥淥n average, these guys will be in seven different homes in their lifetime. And for a creature that bonds really, really closely with its family, that鈥檚 abusive.鈥�

Erika Condon, 20, a volunteer at the sanctuary, adopted a parrot named Elton a year and a half ago and renamed him Lincoln.

Condon would miss his charms after not seeing him for a week so she decided to take him home to Langley, B.C., where he has mostly kept quiet between cuddles, she says, adding Lincoln may be an older bird.

As for Robson, she once had such a fear of birds that she鈥檇 cross the street to avoid a pigeon.

When her partner moved in with two birds, she laid down the law and told him: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 clean their cages, I don鈥檛 go near them, you don鈥檛 have them out when I鈥檓 home.鈥�

A maroon-bellied conure named Basil and Clancey the budgie took the opportunity to escape from their cages when Robson was alone with them. She locked herself in the bathroom, her heart pounding 鈥�100 miles and hour.鈥�

The birds eventually won her over and now, 26 years later, Robson shares her home with six parrots.

Camille Bains, The Canadian Press

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