The Birds of Pandemonium

Narrator Tamara Marston presents anecdotes of the exotic feathered friends collected and bred by author Michele Raffin at her bird sanctuary, Pandemonium. Marston's narration is clear and even as she describes the different birds under Raffin's care, as well as Raffin's family and how they came to work in the field of bird rescue and breeding. Marston herself provides brief vocal imitations of some of the birds. The audio production is also peppered with background sounds of bird song and chatty talking birds, allowing for aural glimpses of the colorful craziness one can imagine at Pandemonium. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

August 4, 2014
Raffin, Avicultural Bulletin columnist and founder of the Pandemonium Aviaries bird sanctuary, describes the trajectory of her accidental career as a breeder of endangered species in this anecdotal, entertaining memoir. In 1996 a random encounter and subsequent rescue of a wounded dove on the Lawrence Highway led Raffin to Louis Brown, a local bird breeder, who took Raffin and her newfound avian interest under his wing. At the time, the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 had given rise to a surfeit of homeless doves and pigeons throughout the U.S. (in the words of the author, “From the late 1990s until around 2010, it was raining birds,”)—many of which Raffin went on to adopt. She recounts her experiences over the years providing shelter to a of variety birds, including a red-headed, potty-mouthed Amazon parrot called Amigo, a quail named Sweetie, and Harli and Peeki, a pair of gay lorikeets. Raffin’s passionate advocacy for birds is reminiscent of Jane Goodall’s support for great apes. The author emerges as a knowledgeable and, above all, endearing champion of animals, who practices what she preaches.