08/25/2026
Light show + Short Notice Emergency Free Bird Boarding Always Available
The recent light show......
Wow, what a light show we had in Duncan! From around 9pm until well after 3am, at least that is when I was finally able to get to sleep. Started off slow and far away, as you can see in the video, to the North and West. Stood out in the front lawn for a couple of hours just watching the big show move in.
Very eerie, could not capture the lighting well on the camera, but the gathering dusk, the falling light, all calm then the entire horizon lights up. When it really started raining, the wind picked up, and the lightning started getting closer I headed inside. A few trees in the area got exploded, a few small fires started, several dogs got out and were running around, a little local flooding, but seems to be no major damage.
At times the strikes were so continuous and close by that the heavy rumble of the thunder would just blend in one after another into one ongoing blast lasting a minute or more. I have never seen anything like this in North America, at least not on this scale! Thankfully my dogs did not care one bit, running around and playing as usual. The birds here were fine as well, not taking much notice, due in part to the thunder and fireworks desensitization training that I do here with all the birds, babies as well as adults.
The length also surprised me, seemed to just keep going! There were still flashes going off when I finally managed to get to sleep a little after 3am. Seems like I am less desensitized than my birds, they went to bed and stayed there as soon as the lights went out. I do recommend desensitization training, for both lightning and fireworks, for all pets, birds as well as dogs and cats. Let me know if people are interested in my system, and I will make some videos that people can use. Part of it is to expose the birds to the sounds, in increasing volume, but the more important part is for them to see other birds -not- reacting with fright or panic when the booms roll in. Seeing other birds remain calm, and not erupt in alert calls or wild flapping, keeps the newbies calm as well. Here I can rely on those birds that have already gone through this training, and why I always keep some nursery mommy and daddy birds in the same room as the babies. Also why I keep some experienced birds in the boarding rooms as well when these loud noises are likely to happen. But for those of you without other experienced birds around, a desensitization video from here would help.
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Emergency Bird Boarding...
I usually make this post a couple of times a year, spring and fall, but it seems to have been skipped last couple of seasons with the move, so here it is now!
If there is an emergency, a fire, heat dome, severe cold snap, flooding, and you have to leave but can't take your birdies with you for any reason, by all means bring them here. I always keep several spots open in the boarding area for emergencies, and if needs be I can quickly expand. In the case of something like wildfire evacuations, I have no problem filling the house with all the spare cages currently in the shipping containers out back. I have done it before, and if needs be will do it again no worries.
Those interested in signing up for this emergency service, message me with your name, phone number, email and address if you are comfortable with that. I can then give you my contact number, texts and phone calls will usually get a hold of me quicker than a facebook message in an emergency. I should not need more than a little heads up time, more to make sure that I am not out on my monthly shopping trip.
Don't worry about boarding fees, that can be worked out at a later date, and waived for those in need. Just get your birds out of the danger area, they will be safe here. I am not in a high fire danger zone, nor a flood zone, and have backups for heat, cooling and power. Even the backups have backups!
I know that during the head dome thousands of pets perished in BC when their owners had to flee the heat in their apartments and uncooled homes. One vet I talked to a few weeks after the heat dome told me that they had over 300 dogs and cats that died in their area, and while they worked for a big vet clinic in Surrey, it was still only one clinic!
I also take birds in here during serious medical emergencies, and on short notice. In these cases as well payment can wait a while and something worked out. In these cases I am a little more careful, as I have offered this for quite a while but have also been taken advantage of quite badly. Boarding in these cases can go on for many months, but things can be worked out. I just want to avoid situations such as 9 months of free boarding while their person worked out their "possible gluten allergy" or four failed sessions of recovery. And remember, as always, I also do rescues and surrenders for rehoming here year round.
