Flying Blind: Introducing Bianca

Mum has told stories of when I was a toddler about how I was friends with my Nonna's chooks. I would play with them as if they were my babies. Fast forward to me at five years old. It was all about ducks. Rubber ducks, quacking ducks, plushy ducks. If I heard there was even a duck nearby, you could not get me to concentrate on anything else until I knew where it was and if I could play with it. I even would play the birdie dance on repeat so I could hear the song about the ducks. I had a big burley uncle with a souped-up V8 car with amazing speakers blaring out the birdie dance when he'd take me out. 

I would listen to birds outside and at some point between being five and eight, I figured out that parrots existed. I think people had pet cockatoos and they would talk and I would stand near their cages and talk to them. It was after that that I got budgies, weiros and quail. Unfortunately, I didn't know a lot about parrot care and the books that Dad read me from the library were very old-school and did not take my situation into account.

Basically, I've been totally blind since birth and was diagnosed at 40 with autism and ADHD. These three things together have presented various challenges with regards to bird care throughout my life. This series will highlight some of these challenges but also some of the wonderful people and animals I have met and worked with throughout my life.

I took quite a long break from bird care but I'm back and happy to let the world know how I take care of my birds and interact with other people's birds given the challenges I face. 

Welcome to the Flying Blind series for What’s up, Flock?! and Little Beaks. 

- Bianca Rose Peterek